When It All Falls Down
by ytteb
Summary: Tony goes missing - but why? Most of the (old) team involved at some point. This is a Milsom Bay story but, as always, I don't think it will matter if you haven't read the other Milsom Bay stories as I'll try to introduce the original characters and fill in the background as I go along. Final chapter now up.
1. Chapter 1

"Tali, here's a snack."

Tali held out her hand and her father, Tony DiNozzo, placed the treat in her hand.

"Be good for Daddy," he said as he briefly rested a hand on her curly hair.

Tali was absorbed in eating and didn't look up.

NCISNCIS

Special Agent Jethro Gibbs found himself in reflective mood on a quiet day in the squad room at NCIS. The Major Case Response Team had just closed a case in its usual forthright and efficient manner and was tackling the paperwork. There was no doubt that the team had done well and Gibbs could, secretly, feel proud of his team but he was conscious of a sense of melancholy as he looked across to the desk of his Senior Field Agent.

Timothy McGee had his head diligently down as befitted Gibbs' second in command but Gibbs couldn't help but remember a time when his Senior Field Agent would have been sitting there staring dreamily into space as he tapped a pencil against his teeth. Gibbs had come to learn that this wasn't always Tony DiNozzo contemplating his latest conquest but rather letting the facts of a case drift randomly in his head until they fell into place and he came up with a new connection. Gibbs sighed; McGee was brilliant at his job but in a different way to DiNozzo and Gibbs sometimes missed Tony's unpredictable flair. He sighed, and McGee looked up,

"Something wrong, Boss?"

"No, nothing wrong," said Gibbs brusquely. A few seconds later he wondered if he was developing telepathic gifts. His phone rang, "Gibbs."

"Ah, Agent Gibbs. This is John Sutherland. You remember …" Gibbs did indeed remember. Tony DiNozzo no longer occupied the Senior Field Agent desk because he was the CAFALO – Community and Federal Agency Liaison Officer – in Raleigh, North Carolina. He had a cabin in the coastal community of Milsom Bay which he visited as often as possible with his young daughter Tali. His cabin had once simply been a shack in the garden of local artist John Sutherland but it had been extended and improved. Sutherland, along with Millie Lacey the local café owner, had become friends with Tony and most of the team had made their way there at some time.

"I remember," said Gibbs.

"Er …"

"Yes?" asked Gibbs.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you … but I … we … thought you should know that we've lost Tony."

The words came out in a rush and Gibbs felt his blood run cold with shock. "You've done _what_?" he demanded.

"Oh, God," said Sutherland as he seemed to realise that his words could have been misinterpreted, "He's not dead …" Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief, "At least, we don't think so."

"What do you mean, you don't think so?"

McGee and Ellie Bishop looked up in concern at the tone in Gibbs' voice.

"I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, I'm not explaining this well. Tony was down in the Bay for a few days. And one minute he was at home and the next … well, he was gone. And we don't know where."

Gibbs listened for a few more minutes before announcing, "I'm on my way!" and putting the phone down.

"Boss?" asked McGee.

"McGee, get me to Milsom Bay. Now!"

Not for the first time, Tim wished he lived in a time when teleportation had been invented but failing that, he began scanning for aircraft on the Navy Base which might be on their way to North Carolina, "Uh why, Boss? Something wrong? With Tony?" he asked.

Gibbs was about to snap an irate answer but saw the concern in his team's faces, "He's gone missing," he said. "That was Sutherland on the phone. Guess he hoped DiNozzo had shown up here."

"But …" began Ellie.

"I don't know anything," said Gibbs, "That's why I'm headed down there. McGee, get me that ride!"

Tim and Ellie watched as Gibbs stalked out of the squad room. "What are we going to do?" asked Ellie.

"Get Gibbs to Milsom Bay," said Tim curtly.

NCISNCIS

Gibbs strode to the chopper with his go bag slung across his shoulder, he paused when he saw a welcoming committee.

"Good work, Tim," he said. "Close off the Sinclair case and then move on to cold cases."

"We're coming with you, Boss," said Tim.

"What?" asked Gibbs, "But I told …"

"And you can't stop us," said Bishop. She seemed to reflect on what she had just said and her innate honesty forced her to continue, "Well, you probably could but we hope you won't because we can help you. We can be useful."

"Bishop," said Gibbs, "You need to stay here. I'll keep you in the loop."

"Uh, Boss," said Tim, "With all due respect, I don't think you will. You need to go, right?"

"Damn straight," said Gibbs, "DiNozzo didn't stop being my responsibility when he quit NCIS. I have to go."

"And we feel the same," said Tim, "Tony's our friend. We want to help."

"Well …" wavered Gibbs.

"And we're the godparents," said Ellie, "It's probably part of the oath or something."

"The Director will never agree," said Gibbs.

Tim looked smug, "Not a problem."

"What?" asked Gibbs momentarily distracted from his worries. "He agreed to let you two go?"

Bishop looked innocent, "We happened to ask when Director Vance was in a discussion with Assistant Director Button …" she allowed her voice to trail off and Gibbs smiled grimly. A few months before, Director Vance had been sent on a secondment with a Senate Committee and Assistant Director Roberta Button had been brought in from San Diego to cover for him. The secondment was long over but somehow Assistant Director Button had managed to avoid returning to San Diego and had been shadowing Director Vance in a rather menacing way ever since.

"The Assistant Director wasn't in favour of us all going," said Tim blandly.

"But Director Vance thought it was a good idea," said Ellie blithely.

For a moment it looked as if Gibbs was going to say, _good job_ again but instead he said, "Come on then, we haven't got all day."

NCISNCIS

"Agent Gibbs!" said John Sutherland a couple of hours later when he saw Gibbs march into Tony's front yard with McGee and Bishop scurrying behind him.

"Told you I was coming," said Gibbs tersely.

"Yes, but … how did you get here so …" John stopped talking as he realised that Gibbs' ways were probably a mystery to him.

"Does it matter?" demanded Gibbs.

"I guess not," admitted John.

"What happened?" asked Gibbs.

"Police are here," said John, "From the Raleigh Police Department. And Milsom Bay cops have been around too."

"Not what I asked," said Gibbs, "Tell me what happened."

John felt like telling Gibbs that he had told him once already but he recognised that Gibbs was anxious about Tony and decided to cut him some slack, "Not much to tell," he said. "I saw Tony this morning, he said he was working from home today …"

"On what?" asked Bishop.

"I didn't ask," said John. "Who knows? He might have been preparing for a visit to a school or getting ready for some high level investigation with the FBI. You know Tony's job, different every day."

"Go on," said Gibbs. "We can find out later what he was down here for."

"As I said, I saw him on the beach playing with Tali. He does that so she uses up some energy and is more likely to sit quietly at home while he's working."

"What about Mac?" asked Tim referring to Tony's nanny Frazer McKenzie.

"Not here," said John briefly.

"Go on," said Gibbs again.

"I went down to Millie's. Half expected to see Tony there; he often goes down mid-morning for a snack with her." The others nodded wisely: Millie's snacks (and all her meals) were well worth a trip.

"But he wasn't there?" asked McGee.

"No. It's not that unusual, Tony gets caught up in what he's doing or Tali isn't being co-operative so I didn't think anything of it. I ended up staying to lunch at Millie's, went to do some sketching further down along the coast and came back after about four hours."

"And?" prompted Ellie.

"And everything looked fine but when I walked past Tony's cabin I heard Tali crying."

"Tali?" demanded Gibbs, "You mean she was on her own?"

"I didn't take any notice to start with," said John, "Tali doesn't cry a lot but she has her moments but then I was surprised that Tony didn't seem to be trying to calm her down. He doesn't leave her to cry for long. So I knocked on the door to see if they needed help but didn't get an answer so I went on it."

"The door was open?" asked Gibbs.

Bishop and McGee looked at each other quizzically as they wondered if Gibbs was going to criticise Tony for following his former Boss's example.

"During the day most people around here keep their doors unlocked," said John. "Anyway, I went in and found Tali sitting on the floor crying."

"And no sign of Tony?" asked Tim.

"No. Tali seemed to have been left some snacks …"

"How could you tell?" asked Bishop.

"There were remains of an orange and some grapes," said John, "And some cookie crumbs. Tony doesn't usually give Tali more than one snack at a time."

"So do we think that Tony planned to go away?" asked Tim.

"He wouldn't leave Tali, would he?" mused Ellie. "This must be a mistake. He must have gone out somewhere … and had an accident … where is he?"

"That's what I'm here to find out," came another voice from the door of the cabin. "Who are you? And what are you doing contaminating my cri – incident scene?"

Gibbs' eyes narrowed at the allusion to a crime scene which had nearly slipped out but he ignored it in favour of saying, "We're federal agents, we don't contaminate _incident_ scenes. Who are you?"

"I asked first, but in the interests of co-operation, I'll tell you that I'm Detective Colin Hardman, acting CAFALO for the Raleigh PD."

"Sure of yourself there, aren't you, Hardman?" said Gibbs, "DiNozzo's only been missing a couple of hours and you're already calling yourself the acting CALAFO."

"CAFALO," murmured Tim.

Hardman didn't reply directly, "And you are?"

"Special Agent Jethro Gibbs," said Gibbs, "NCIS. Special Agents Eleanor Bishop and Timothy McGee," he gestured towards the rest of his team. John Sutherland took the opportunity to slip away back to his own house.

"NCIS," said Hardman, "That's who Lieutenant DiNozzo used to work for?"

"That's right," said Gibbs.

"And what are you doing here?" asked Hardman.

"Heard that DiNozzo was missing," said Gibbs.

"And?" asked Hardman coolly.

"And he was one of ours," said Gibbs, "NCIS has an interest."

"I'll be sure to let you know what happens," said Hardman. "Thanks for coming."

Gibbs smiled – the smile which sent people who knew him running for cover. "We're not going anywhere," he said, "Think again, _Hardman._ "

McGee watched the Detective squaring up to Gibbs. Hardman was probably a few years older than Tony and had a hard, no-nonsense look to him along with an athletic body which showed no signs of running to seed. "Um," he said, "You know, Detective, NCIS has lots of resources. We could help … and we know Tony well. That could be useful."

Hardman didn't look away from Gibbs as he said, "Why d'you think knowing the Lieutenant would help? You think he's run off somewhere?"

"No, of course not," said Tim, "I just meant that it's useful to know the victim."

"Hey!" interrupted Gibbs, "Hardman, get used to the idea that we're here and we're going to be investigating. No point in us fighting over it."

Hardman waited a second or two before saying, "OK. You can stay. But only because I don't want to waste time running you off and because you _might_ come in useful. But you keep me informed … this is my case, whatever cockamamie excuse you come up with."

"Agreed," said Gibbs. "Now, what you got so far?"

"Not much," said Hardman. "Mr Sutherland went in, found the kid sitting on the floor crying …"

"Her name's Tali," said Gibbs.

"Whatever. She had some snacks and a couple of juice boxes. Mr Sutherland says it would be unusual for her to have that many lying around."

"Tony … Lieutenant DiNozzo is very house proud," put in McGee, "He doesn't like a mess."

Hardman nodded in acknowledgment, "As far as the neighbour could tell, nothing was missing. No sign of disturbance. Everything looked normal except that To – the Lieutenant wasn't there."

"Anyone else see anything?" asked Bishop.

"It's a quiet stretch," said the Detective, "Not many people pass by casually. Nobody's come forward yet to say they saw him leaving the cabin. His car's still here and his ATV. Gun's in the gun safe. We've got people searching the beach."

"The beach?" asked McGee. "You think he just went for a walk and left his daughter unattended?"

"Tide was in around the time we think he went missing," said Hardman.

"So?" asked Gibbs.

"Join the dots, Agent Gibbs," said Hardman.

"You think Tony's drowned?" asked Ellie, "But he's a strong swimmer. It's not likely."

"I don't think that's how the Detective wants us to join the dots, Bishop," said Gibbs.

"There's more than one way of ending up drowned, Agent Bishop," said Hardman.

"You think he's _killed_ himself?" demanded McGee incredulously.

"I'm not ruling anything in or out," came the reply. "But you have to admit that the Lieutenant's had a lot of problems lately. Who knows what he might have done?"

"Problems?" asked McGee.

"Huh," said Hardman, "Maybe you don't know your _friend_ as well as you thought."


	2. Chapter 2

"DiNozzo wouldn't kill himself," said Gibbs firmly. "And if that's what you're looking for, you're gonna screw this up from the beginning."

"Like I said, I'm not ruling anything in or out," said Hardman. "I'm arranging a search for Lieutenant DiNozzo, putting out a BOLO for him, investigating traffic in and out of the Bay and arranging a dive into his finances. Suicide is just one possibility. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't keep my options open."

"Er …" said McGee into the tense silence which followed this exchange, "Tony has put a lot of people away – while he was with NCIS and when he was a cop. One of them might be out for revenge. It's happened before and we've got a list of people who might be out to get him – I could start a check on them?"

"Do it, McGee," ordered Gibbs. "Go down to the café, set up there."

"He's been involved in a lot of cases as CAFALO," said Hardman, "I've got people looking at those already."

Gibbs nodded with satisfaction at this evidence that Hardman wasn't focussed solely on the idea that Tony's disappearance was voluntary.

"Where's Tali?" asked Ellie as she turned to follow McGee.

"The woman who runs the café took her," said Hardman. "If the Lieutenant doesn't show up we'll make arrangements for Child Protective Services to take her." He suddenly became aware of three pairs of eyes fixed on him in horror.

"That won't be necessary," said Gibbs evenly, "Mrs Lacey will be happy to look after Tali DiNozzo."

"I'm not sure about that," said Hardman, "She's not a relation, is she?"

"Tali knows Mrs Lacey, she'd be comfortable with her," said Gibbs. "She's going to miss her father so it makes sense to leave her in a familiar place."

"And we're her godparents," put in Ellie.

"I don't think being a godparent has any legal weight," said Hardman stiffly.

"Mrs Lacey's son and daughter-in-law are named in Tony's will as Tali's guardians," said Gibbs softly, "I think _they_ will have a say in what happens to Tali."

"I guess," said Hardman.

"And if Tony's been taken somewhere, then his daughter might be in danger too," said McGee, "Might be safer to keep her close."

"OK," said Hardman. "I'm going to check how the search on the beach is going. Unless you have an opinion about that too?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Go ahead. You mind if we take a look inside Tony's cabin?"

"Help yourself," came the reply.

"Uh, Detective," asked McGee, "What about Tony's phone?"

"Can't trace it. Think it's turned off, it's not in the cabin," said Hardman and with that he walked off.

"I didn't know Kit and Andi were named as guardians," said Ellie.

"Tony told me last time I was down," said Gibbs.

"Er … you don't think … I mean, does it mean that Tony was thinking about dying?" asked McGee anxiously.

Gibbs looked bleak but said, "No, I don't, Tim. I think it was DiNozzo being a good parent and looking out for his daughter."

"And what was that about Tony having a lot of problems lately?" asked Ellie. "Did you know about that as well?"

"No," said Gibbs. "McGee, you head on down to the café. Bishop and I will look at the cabin. Then we'll go down and talk to Tali. See if she can tell us anything."

The search of Tony's cabin didn't tell them anything. It simply looked as if Tony had given his daughter a couple of drinks and snacks and walked out and left her.

"What do you think happened, Gibbs?" asked Ellie as she took photos.

"Don't know," said Gibbs curtly. "Ask Hardman for fingerprint results later."

"You think someone took Tony? Or did he just go off somewhere? Maybe went for a walk and had an accident?"

"I don't know what happened," said Gibbs, "But DiNozzo has turned out to be a real responsible Dad, he wouldn't leave Tali on her own."

"But he might have only thought he'd be gone a minute," said Bishop.

Gibbs shook his head, "We'll head down to the café," he said.

NCISNCIS

Millie Lacey was trying to remain her usual calm self but the strain was showing. She had taken to Tony immediately when they first met and the affectionate bond had deepened as the years passed.

"Agent Gibbs," she said when she saw Gibbs walk into the café. "I'm glad you could come. I knew you would." She smiled as she briefly reflected on the somewhat turbulent history between Gibbs and Tony but she knew that they cared for each other in an unshowy way. "Tali is asleep … at last!"

"Did she say anything?" asked Gibbs.

"No. Just that Tony gave her a snack and told her to be good. I think she was doing a drawing … and you know Tali, she's got focus. She probably didn't even look up at him. Can I get you a coffee? Something to eat?"

"Just coffee," said Gibbs. When she had brought it to him, Gibbs gestured to the seat opposite him, "Sit. Talk to me," he said.

Millie sat down with a sigh, "I don't understand it, Agent Gibbs. This is completely out of character for Tony. I tried to explain that to Detective Hardman but I'm not sure I convinced him."

Gibbs nodded, "He said something about Tony having had a lot of problems lately. What do you know about that?"

Millie looked uncomfortable, "I don't like to gossip, Agent Gibbs …"

"Tony would understand," said Gibbs, "I need to know what's going on … he'd tell you that the smallest thing could make a difference."

"Well," said Millie reluctantly, "There was some unpleasantness over the Pink House …"

Gibbs frowned. The Pink House was a large house down the coast a little way that had been built in the 1930s by a wealthy eccentric businessman. The house had been unoccupied for many years and had always exercised an attraction for Tony.

"Last I heard the town was going to buy it up or rent it cheaply. Turn it into some sort of retreat centre. Wasn't there talk of the town paying to reinstate the road?" he asked.

"That's right. Well, the road got rebuilt and then the deal fell through."

"What happened?"

"The owners of the house got a better offer … or rather, they actually _got_ an offer. And they sold the Pink House to another buyer."

"And?"

"Turns out that the collapsed road was what had put a lot of buyers off. Once it was reinstated the house became a more attractive proposition. The town had done the work before they'd got a formal agreement in writing that the house would become a local asset."

"Ouch," said Gibbs. "But why's that a problem for Tony?"

"There's a rumour going around that Tony's Dad got wind of what was happening and mentioned it to some developers he knew."

"I didn't think Senior came down here?" said Gibbs.

"He doesn't. I think he visits them in Raleigh but Milsom Bay isn't his type of place but Tony probably told him about it …"

"I see."

"And it's just a rumour," said Millie fairly, "Although the house _was_ sold shortly after Mr DiNozzo senior paid a visit. There was some ill feeling."

"Wasn't Tony's fault," said Gibbs gruffly.

"I know," agreed Millie, "And the council were careless … they shouldn't have been so trusting."

"Senior does tend to bring trouble in his wake," said Gibbs bitterly. "How did Tony take it?"

Millie managed a smile, "You know Tony, he hides how he feels but I think he was hurt by the rumours. And he hasn't been down as often and tends not to come to the café when we're busy although he doesn't say anything. And you know there was talk about him being asked to be our Chief of Police when he eventually retires … although I'll believe it when I see it: he keeps on postponing it!"

"Yeah, DiNozzo told me," said Gibbs. "What about it?"

"Doesn't seem likely to happen. Police Chiefs sometimes end up being unpopular but it's not a good idea for them to start off unpopular," said Millie wisely.

"Not sure Tony wanted to become Police Chief," said Gibbs.

"I don't think he knew either," said Millie, "But it's one thing to have the choice and another to have it snatched away like this." Gibbs took a sip of Millie's perfect coffee and she took the opportunity to ask, "Should we let his father know … that Tony's missing?"

Gibbs sighed, "I guess. Although we can probably wait a while … just in case DiNozzo's off on some hare-brained scheme and is going to show up any minute with a cheesy grin and an apology!"

"But you don't think he's going to, do you?" asked Millie.

"No, I don't. And if he does, I may shoot him myself!"

"Hand me the gun afterwards," said Millie, "I may want to take a shot as well!"

Gibbs couldn't help but smile at this unlikely picture, "I'll get McGee to find out where Mr DiNozzo is. If he's not in the country, there's no point in telling him."

Millie looked out of the window, "Here comes Detective Hardman. I'll get more coffee."

"You've found something," said Gibbs. There was an expression on Hardman's face which he couldn't quite interpret but vindication was in there somewhere.

"Pair of trainers," said Hardman as he put a package wrapped in plastic on the table in front of Gibbs.

"Where were they?"

"On the beach. A few hundred yards from the Lieutenant's cabin. Just above the high water mark."

"Are they Tony's?"

The Detective shrugged, "Don't know. I don't have his wardrobe memorised but the size is right. And they're expensive things to leave on the beach."

"And you think he kicked his shoes off before swimming out to sea?" suggested Gibbs.

"Not necessarily," said Hardman, "If he took his shoes off then why not take his pants and top off as well?"

"He might have done," said Gibbs, "And they floated away."

"You think that's what happened?"

"No. At least, I don't think Tony would have gone into the water for a swim without being coerced in some way."

Hardman stiffened, "You think someone took him?"

Gibbs shrugged, "Like you, I'm trying to keep an open mind but I struggle with the idea that Tony would have abandoned his daughter."

"Huh. And I guess it might be odd that the shoes were put above the high water line. Almost if someone wanted them to be found."

"Doesn't make sense, does it?" said Gibbs.

"No … but …"

"But what?" asked Gibbs.

"You won't like it," warned Hardman.

"Hardman, I haven't liked any of this so far so go ahead."

"If To – the Lieutenant had some sort of breakdown, well, it wouldn't all be sensible and logical, would it?"

"Why are you so sure he's had a breakdown?" asked Gibbs.

"I'm not sure," said Hardman, "But … well, you all keep on about how good a parent the Lieutenant is."

"He is," said Gibbs firmly.

"But from what I can tell, he wasn't around when his daughter was born."

"Not his fault," said Gibbs in the same firm voice.

"And from he says of his _pre-daughter_ days he played the field pretty thoroughly and commitment was the last thing on his mind. Hell, he even says he was terrified of kids."

"Your point?"

"My point is that it must have been a shock when he found out he was a father …"

" _You have no idea,_ " murmured Gibbs.

"And perhaps he's found it more difficult than you think. Maybe he's been putting a brave face on it but underneath it might have been too much for him."

Gibbs scowled, "I heard a lot of _maybes, perhaps_ and _mights_ in there. DiNozzo loves that kid, have you ever seen them together?"

To Gibbs' surprise, Hardman replied, "Yes, I have. And you're right, it all looks great. But who knows, it could be different underneath? And when other people think you're coping – and admiring you for the way you're managing – it can be difficult to admit you're struggling."

"You're wrong," said Gibbs. "DiNozzo steps up to the plate. Yes, before he had Tali he could be irresponsible but Tali has been the making of him."

"Perhaps he didn't want to be _made_ ," said Hardman gently. "And we both know that it only takes a second for someone to make a bad decision … a fatal decision."

"You won't convince me," said Gibbs.

The Detective shook his head, "Believe me, I want to be wrong. And it doesn't matter: it doesn't make any difference to the way we're looking for him."

"It had better not," said Gibbs. "Mrs Lacey told me about the problems with the Pink House but I don't think that would be enough to send the DiNozzo I know over the edge."

"I didn't know about any problems with the Pink House," said Hardman. "That wasn't the problem that I was talking about."


	3. Chapter 3

"Go on then," said Gibbs wearily, "What else is going on with Tony?"

"You mean apart from being without the Nanny?" asked Hardman.

"Mac's gone?" said Gibbs. "I thought he was going to be around for a few months yet."

"That was the agreement," said Hardman.

"Then what happened?"

"He got the offer of another job. Chance of a lifetime."

"DiNozzo could have made him stay. Thought Mac liked Tali."

"I think he did," said Hardman, "But this job was to be Nanny to a couple who were going on an around the world cruise before settling for a few months in Australia so the guy could write a novel. The Lieutenant didn't want to stand in his way."

"Hmph," said Gibbs discontentedly, "He shouldn't have been applying for jobs while Tony still needed him."

"He didn't."

"What?"

"As far as I can tell, he was headhunted. The Lieutenant's father happened to mention to these friends of his that his son had a great nanny. And they made the call."

"Hmph," said Gibbs again as he realised that Senior had once more brought chaos to Tony's life.

"Made things difficult for the Lieutenant …"

"You know, you can just call him Tony," said Gibbs, "It's obvious that you do the rest of the time and it's a mouthful to keep calling him _the Lieutenant_."

The hint of a smile softened Hardman's face for the first time, "OK. It made things difficult for _Tony_. Not just making arrangements for child care but because Tali missed Mac and she was miserable."

"I see," said Gibbs thoughtfully as he considered this latest departure in Tali's young life.

"And it happened when Tony was feeling down anyway," said Hardman.

"OK, what else was happening?" asked Gibbs.

"Commander Burke," said Hardman.

"Ah," said Gibbs, "Perhaps I did know after all."

Hardman was referring to Commander Melanie Burke who had been assigned to Norfolk where Tony had run into her. She had been coming to the end of her time with the Navy and had been interested in the Pink House as a retreat centre of some type. Tony's friends had suspected that she was also interested in Tony and that the interest was returned. Gradually, however, the Chaplain's name had dropped out of Tony's conversations and Gibbs had learned that she had signed up for another period of duty and been posted to Pearl Harbour.

"He didn't say much about it," said Hardman.

"He wouldn't," said Gibbs as he remembered that Tony talked a lot about things that didn't matter and kept the important things to himself.

"But I think he was disappointed," said the Detective.

They each took a sip of their coffees as they thought about the implications of a disappointed Tony. Their silence was interrupted by Hardman's phone ringing,

"Hardman … when? Where from? OK, send me the details." He ended the call in a way which Gibbs could admire.

"What?" asked Gibbs.

"That was the officer I've got looking into Tony's accounts …"

"And?"

"$25000 dollars has been deposited in the last 3 weeks."

"From where?" asked Gibbs.

"Tony's father."

" _Senior_?" demanded Gibbs, "He's given Tony 25 grand?"

"It's a lot of money," conceded Hardman.

"You're right," said Gibbs, "And it's a _hell_ of a lot of money for Senior to have. Where did he get it from?"

"Tony's always given the impression that his father lived well," said Hardman cautiously.

"It's all smoke and mirrors with Tony's father. And for a long time, Tony thought Senior _was_ as wealthy as he appeared."

"But he isn't?"

"I think he's better off than he was but he enjoys what he calls the good things in life and they don't come cheap."

"You think there's some connection between all this and Tony disappearing?" asked Hardman.

"I don't know," said Gibbs, "But I think we need to find out where Mr DiNozzo is. I'll go find McGee and get him on to it."

"I'll go back to the beach. See if anything else has turned up," said Hardman.

NCISNCIS

"McGee, find out where Senior is," said Gibbs when he ran Tim to earth among the outside tables.

Tim looked up in alarm, "Has something happened?" he asked.

"No," said Gibbs. "No, that's not true but we haven't found Tony. We found out that Senior's put a lot of money in Tony's bank account in the last few weeks. You know Senior, I'd like to know what that's about."

"Yes, Boss. I'd already started looking for him," said Tim.

Gibbs felt the warm feeling he always got when his team had anticipated what he wanted but, as always, he didn't tell anyone. "And?" he asked.

"No luck so far," said Tim. "He's not at his place in DC. He had a plane ticket to go to Monte Carlo but there's nothing to show that he used it. I could start running checks on his bank accounts but I'd need a warrant to do that …" he trailed off as if to show he was ready to do it if ordered to.

"No, hold off – for the moment," said Gibbs.

"Um, I did a background check on Detective Hardman," said McGee a little tentatively.

The warm glow increased in Gibbs' chest but still didn't make itself known, "And?" he said.

"Career policeman," said McGee, "Mostly in North Carolina forces. Slow progression up the ranks, joined the Raleigh PD three years ago."

" _Slow_ progress?" asked Gibbs, "Any reason why?"

"None that I can see," said McGee, "Seems to be a solid, respected officer. Just …"

"Yes?"

"Just not well-liked. Keeps himself to himself. Single, doesn't look as if he's ever been married. No children. And he's acting CAFALO."

"So he told us," said Gibbs.

"Yes, I know, Boss. But he was already acting CAFALO. He wasn't assuming he was taking it over."

"What about Tony?" asked Gibbs, "Why isn't he the CafPow thing?"

"Because Chief Laura Martin is about to go on maternity leave," came Detective Hardman's voice from behind them. McGee jumped slightly in embarrassment while Gibbs remained determinedly unmoved. "Tony and I have been working in parallel for the last three weeks as a way of handing over to me. Tony was due to start working with the Chief next week before taking over as acting Chief next month." The fleeting look of amusement was once again on the Detective's face as he continued, "Don't worry, Agent McGee, I've got people doing background on you as well."

"Then you'll find out that we're damned good at our jobs," said Gibbs coolly.

"Tony was working at home the last few days to clear up the last of the paperwork. It meant that I did more of the face to face work – we figured it would be a good way of easing me in. it also gives us a time frame for when he went missing."

"How so?" asked Gibbs.

"He called me at 10.30 to say he'd completed the last of his files and that, officially, I was now acting CAFALO."

"And he called you from here?" asked McGee.

"No reason to think not," said Hardman, "But I guess we can check."

"Yeah, do that pinging the cell tower thing … that's right, isn't it?" asked Gibbs.

Tim opened his mouth to give a more technical explanation but wiser counsel prevailed and he simply nodded. After a few moments he said, "Yes, call was made from here. Looks like it was the last call he made. I mean, not the last call … I didn't mean to imply it was his last _ever_ call … just …"

"It's all right, Tim, we know what you mean," said Gibbs. He was about to give McGee another instruction but Hardman's cell rang and he paused in case there was going to be more news.

"Hardman … yes, Ma'am … yes, I understand … no … yes … I'll do that … he's right here." The Detective looked across to Gibbs and said, "Chief Martin wants a word with you," and he handed the cell to Gibbs.

Gibbs steeled himself for a battle over jurisdiction, "Special Agent Gibbs, Ma'am."

"Agent Gibbs, Colin told me that you and your team flew down when you heard that Tony was missing."

"Yes, Ma'am. We can help. I know it might …"

"Agent Gibbs, I'm not calling to tell you to back off …"

"Oh?"

"Colin is a good officer but he hasn't got the experience to run an investigation like this. I'll speak to your Director and ask him to allow you to take the lead on the case. I assume you won't have a problem with that?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Very well. I want you to work closely with Colin and the rest of my department. I'd take the lead myself but I'm a month off giving birth and this isn't the time for me to heading up an investigation."

"I understand, Ma'am."

"Good. Tony is a good officer, I want him found. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Keep me informed."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Gibbs ended the call and handed the cell back to Hardman. McGee looked at him curiously, wondering if NCIS had just been booted off the case.

"You OK with this?" Gibbs asked Hardman.

Hardman shrugged, "Would it make any difference if I wasn't?"

"Nope," said Gibbs.

The smile dawned fleetingly once more, "I'm fine. Tony says it's good to know one's limitations and I think this might be mine."

"Fair enough," said Gibbs, "Tim, Chief Martin has asked us to take the lead on finding Tony. You and Detective Hardman go over what you've both found out. Make sure we're not all chasing the same information. I'm going to go see if Tali is awake."

NCISNCIS

Gibbs found Ellie with her goddaughter. "Hey, Gibbs," she said, "Tali's just woken up."

"Uncle Jefro," said Tali, "Where's Daddy?"

"We're not sure," said Gibbs, "But we're looking for him. We'll find him, don't worry."

"I want Daddy," said Tali.

"I know, sweetheart," said Ellie as she gave her a hug.

Gibbs sat down opposite Tali, "Tali, I need to talk to you."

"OK," said Tali.

"Did your daddy say anything to you when he left this morning?"

Tali thought about this for a moment before saying, "Don't know. I was painting."

"Do you know what time he left?" asked Gibbs.

Tali shook her head, "I can't read the clock yet. Mac was teaching me." Her eyes filled with tears again.

"Were you hungry?" asked Gibbs, wondering if they could work anything out from that.

Tali nodded, "But Daddy says I'm always hungry. He says it's because I'm a DiNozzo!"

Gibbs smiled and said conspiratorially, "Your Daddy was always hungry when he worked for me."

"Did you give him snacks?" asked Tali. "Daddy always gives me snacks when I'm hungry."

"Sometimes," said Gibbs.

"Your Daddy always kept lots of snacks in his desk," said Ellie deciding not to mention that Tony had also worked out how to raid the candy machine.

"Did he give you extra snacks this morning?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes," said Tali, "But I thought that was because he was sorry."

"Sorry?" said Gibbs. "What did you think he was sorry about?"

"He drawed on my drawing. He knows that's naughty," said Tali sternly.

"What did he draw?" asked Gibbs.

"It wasn't really a drawing," said Tali meticulously, "It was writing."

"Have you got the drawing?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes. I was going to paint over it, because I was cross with Daddy. But I didn't 'cos he gave me the snacks so I knew he was sorry. Daddy says you shouldn't bear a …"

"Grudge," said Ellie, "You shouldn't bear a grudge. It's better to forgive someone."

"But it was bad to drawed on my paper," said Tali discontentedly.

It looked as if Ellie was going to take the opportunity to enforce Tony's moral teaching but Gibbs interrupted her to say, "Where's the picture, Tali? Can I have a look?"

"It's in my bag," said Tali. "It's my new bag. Daddy got it for me to take to school. I'm starting in a new class when we go back."

"That's good, Tali," said Gibbs, "Show me."

Tali went and picked up her bag, "It's got Magnum on it," she said informatively. "Daddy and me, we like Magnum." She opened the flap and rummaged through the contents. "This is it," she said at last and she held out a crumpled sheet of paper.

Gibbs took the drawing from her but couldn't see anything apart from a scribble of crayon and paint. "Where did Daddy write on it, Tali?"

"There," said Tali and she pointed to some faint pencil marks.

"Bishop," said Gibbs, "What can you see?"

Ellie peered where Tali was pointing, "I think it's a licence plate," she said excitedly. "Do you think it's a message?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Run the plate," said Gibbs.

Bishop drew her laptop towards her and got to work but after a few moments she sighed, "Oh …"

"What?" asked Gibbs.

"It belongs to Dr Murray," she said. Dr Murray was the much respected and popular Milsom Bay doctor.

"Damn," said Gibbs. "Call him. Check his car hasn't been stolen."

Bishop nodded and made the call, "Hello … could I speak to Dr Murray, please … Ducky?" She put her hand over the phone and said, "Ducky's covering for the doctor while he's on vacation."

Gibbs grinned, "Tell … ask him to come over." He felt oddly relieved to know that Ducky was nearby: he had missed having both Tony and Ducky as listening ears when he needed them at NCIS and the knowledge that he could tap into Ducky's calm wisdom cheered him and he was glad that Ducky was making one of his frequent _sojourns_ in Milsom Bay.

Bishop passed on the message and they waited for Ducky to make the short journey to the café.

"Jethro," he said as he strode through the door, "What brings you to the balmy climes of Milsom Bay?"

"DiNozzo," said Gibbs briefly.

The cheerful smile faded from Ducky's face, "And what has our lad been up to now?"

"We don't know, Ducky," said Bishop, "He's gone missing."

"What?"

"Left Tali in the cabin and seems to have vanished into thin air," said Gibbs.

"Good Lord," said Ducky. "It would seem most out of character for Anthony to leave Tali on her own. What do we know?"

"Very little. He made a phone call to Raleigh PD around 10.30 but nothing since then."

"And why did you call Dr Murray?" asked Ducky.

"Tony wrote a licence plate number down on a drawing that Tali was doing," said Ellie.

Ducky chuckled, "I'm sure she was most displeased about that. She does not like her art work to be disturbed."

"I ran the plate and it came back belonging to Dr Murray's car," said Ellie. "I was phoning to see if there was a problem with it."

"I see," said Ducky. "I must say I think it is highly unlikely that Dr Murray is involved with Anthony's disappearance and, apart from anything else, he left on his vacation to Canada three days ago."

"Car might have been stolen," said Gibbs.

"Indeed it might have been but it has not. I have to walk past it each day I go into the clinic and it was there when I left to come here. I should also point out that the good doctor told me that he has been unable to run the vehicle for a few days as the engine has seized – the garage is coming to collect it later today for repairs."

"Damn," said Gibbs again, "Then why did Tony make a note of the plate?"

"I fear I cannot assist you with that," said Ducky. "Perhaps Anthony was testing his memory … although why he should feel the need to memorise licence plates is beyond me."

"Walk with me, Duck," said Gibbs. "We'll go check the car."

"I can assure you that it is still there, Jethro," said Ducky.

"Just being thorough," said Gibbs. "Not like we've got anything else to go on."

"Very well," said Ducky.

"Bishop," said Gibbs, "Check in with Hardman and McGee. See if they've come up with anything."

As they began to walk to the clinic, Ducky said, "You're worried, aren't you, Jethro?"

"Yes, I can't believe that Tony would up and leave Tali."

"Assuredly not. He has turned out to be a most devoted father," agreed Ducky. "Ahem, am I to infer that someone is suggesting that that is what he has done?"

"Detective Hardman – the _acting_ CAFALO – has implied that DiNozzo might have cracked under the strain and walked off."

"Ah," said Ducky. "That doesn't sound like the Anthony we know, does it?"

"No. You've seen him more recently than me. How has he been?"

"He is tired. You know that Frazer left at short notice?" Gibbs nodded. "That has caused some strain. There was some unpleasantness over the Pink House … and there has been additional work in getting ready for his temporary promotion."

"And Commander Burke."

"Ah yes, indeed. But you know …"

"What, Ducky?"

"I don't doubt that Anthony was disappointed at whatever happened there … and you will understand that he has not confided in me … but alas, I don't think Anthony ever really expects to be happy. He reads fairy stories to his daughter but does not think that _he_ will ever _live happily ever after_."

Gibbs considered this and realised that there was something about Tony that, as Ducky had said, never really thought he would get one of his happy movie endings.

Ducky coughed.

"What, Duck?" asked Gibbs recognising that the doctor had something a little delicate to say.

"I don't believe I am telling tales out of school but you are aware that Anthony did once have a period of depression?"

Gibbs nodded, "When he was at college. A long time ago. And he's been through bad times since then and not had it again."

"Indeed," said Ducky, "But I would have been remiss not to have mentioned it."

"He told me that he can recognise the signs when he's getting under stress," said Gibbs.

"Yes," said Ducky, "But now that he has other responsibilities he may find it more difficult to apply the remedies which have availed him in the past."

"You think he might be depressed again? And that's why he disappeared?"

"No, not really," said Ducky. "He did not exhibit any of the signs of depression when I last saw him. But we know that Anthony is the master of deception when he chooses."

"I guess," said Gibbs, "But I'm not going to believe that's what's happened until someone proves it to me."

"Very well," said Ducky. "And here we are. There is Dr Murray's car."

Gibbs looked at the Mercury Cyclone which had probably been someone's pride and joy once but which now looked as if it might well have a seized engine. His hands itched to start a restoration project and then he looked again,

"Plates are missing," he said.

"So they are," said Ducky. "How extraordinary."

"Good way of avoiding being traced," said Gibbs, "Put stolen plates on another vehicle."

"You think that's what happened?" asked Ducky.

"Makes more sense that Tony testing his memory for licence plates," said Gibbs.

"You think this is somehow linked to Anthony's disappearance?"

"Yep." Gibbs got his cell out, "McGee, get hold of Hardman and get to Doc Murray's place. I want his car gone over with a fine tooth comb."

NCISNCIS

Three days passed with no clue to Tony's whereabouts. Doc Murray's Mercury Cyclone had come up clean and Gibbs had resorted to having it transferred to the Navy Yard for Abby unsuccessfully to apply her forensic skills. Nobody came forward to say they had seen the plates being stolen and Milsom Bay was not a place with many security cameras.

The Raleigh PD and the MCRT were looking out for vehicles with the missing licence plates but they were unlikely to be successful unless the vehicle passed through some cameras with licence plate recognition or the thieves were unlucky – always assuming the stolen plates had not been dumped.

Tony's father also remained off the radar and they began to wonder if they should report him missing as well. The police continued to search in Milsom Bay but there were many places where someone could hide out and they had no clue whether they should be looking close to home or further afield.

On the evening of the fourth day, Millie approached Gibbs as he reluctantly ate the meal she had provided,

"You know, you should eat, Agent Gibbs," she said reprovingly.

"Yeah, sure," he shrugged.

"Agent Gibbs, I think it's time for Tali to go and stay with Kit and Andi."

"Why?"

"She's used to being with them and being with Joe and Pippa would occupy her."

"Yeah, your grandchildren are certainly lively," admitted Gibbs.

"I don't want her to go," said Millie, "But I think she will settle better there."

"I guess," said Gibbs, "But I don't like the idea of Tony coming back and not finding her here."

"I know, but I think we have to think of Tali," said Millie gently. "She should be back at kindergarten, you know."

"You think she'll go?" asked Gibbs.

"If we let her take Ruskin," said Millie wisely.

"He hasn't let her out of his sight," said Gibbs. Ruskin was the DiNozzo dog although he spread his favours widely and had been on a trip to the Milsom Bay Retirement Home when Tony had gone missing. "I'll tell her," said Gibbs.

"I'll come with you," said Millie.

To Gibbs' surprise, Tali didn't raise too many objections to going home without her father,

"You'll tell Daddy where I've gone?" she said.

"Yes," said Gibbs.

"Promise?"

"Promise," he replied.

"You're going to find him, aren't you, Uncle Jefro?"

"We'll find him," he promised.

"Uncle Jefro …"

"Yes?"

"Is it like Ima?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ima left me. I don't remember but Daddy says she's in heaven."

"Yes."

"Is that where Daddy's gone?"

"No, Tali. I don't think that's where Daddy's gone."

"OK. I miss him lots."

"I know."

"And I remembered. He told me to be good."

"When, Tali?"

"That day. He told me to be good. And then he went."

"Can you remember anything else?"

"No, I was cross with him."

"I see."

"I wish I hadn't been cross with Daddy."

"He understands."

"I guess. I think he's good at that."

"I know."

"Although he still gives me green things to eat. He doesn't remember I don't like green things."

"Daddies do that," said Gibbs solemnly.

"I guess," sighed Tali. "But when he comes back I'll try to like them."

"That's a good idea," said Gibbs, "He'll like that."

"Can I take my recorder with me?"

"What?"

"Tali and Tony are making a tape to send to Mac," said Millie. "Mac brought the recorder for Tali as a leaving present. They're going to send each other tapes."

"Sure," said Gibbs. "Go to sleep now, I'll get someone to drive you to Raleigh tomorrow."

"I've got to pack first," said Tali firmly.

"I'll take care of that," said the ever competent Millie. Gibbs backed away gratefully.

A few minutes later as he sat watching the sun set and tried to think of a way forward, he heard Millie call him,

"Agent Gibbs, come here!"

Gibbs hurried into Tali's bedroom, "What is it?"

"Tali wanted to listen to what she and Tony had already recorded but the tape had wound on to the end."

"So?"

"So I wound it back and started playing it. Listen!"

"… Daddy and me went to the beach today. And I found some different shells. Daddy took some pictures and we'll send them with the tape, won't we, Daddy?"

"Yes, Tali. Mac, we've got a ton of photos for you. And Tali's grown half an inch since you left," came Tony's voice. "Come on, Tali, that's enough for now." There was a rustling sound as the recording stopped.

Gibbs opened his mouth to speak but Millie gestured for him to be silent. The rustling sound came again, followed by a hiss and silence before voices sounded.

"Can I help you?" said Tony.

"Mr DiNozzo, come with us," came a man's voice.

"Excuse me?" said Tony.

"I think you understand what you need to do," came the reply.

There was a long pause before Tony said, "I need to settle my daughter."

"Of course. I'm sure we know how important your daughter is to you. You'll do anything to keep her safe, won't you?" The words were bland but sent a chill down Gibbs' spine.

"Give me a minute," said Tony.

"No longer," said the man.

"Tali, here's a snack," said Tony. "Be good for Daddy,"

"Finished?"

"Finished."

"Come with us."

Gibbs heard the sound of feet walking to the door and then a thud as if something, or someone, had hit the floor.

"Tony's been taken, hasn't he?" said Millie.

"Yes," said Gibbs grimly. "They must have come in a vehicle with Doc Murray's licence plate. He didn't have time to do more than write the number down and set the recorder going. Good job, DiNozzo!"

* * *

AN: Tony's bout with depression is mentioned in the story _Pink House Blues_


	5. Chapter 5

"Still think DiNozzo went off on his own?" said Gibbs to Detective Hardman as he shared the tape with him.

"I never thought he'd gone off," protested Hardman, "But it would have been crazy not to think it was a possibility."

"Yeah, yeah," said Gibbs.

"Er, Boss," said Tim, "We know that Tony's been taken but … why?"

"McGee?" asked Gibbs.

"If the kidnappers wanted something, wouldn't they have made a demand by now?"

"And if they wanted Tony dead … wouldn't they just have killed him in the cabin? Or we would have found the body by now?" asked Ellie as she faced an unpleasant possibility.

"Doesn't make sense, does it?" said Hardman. "From what you're saying, Tony's father couldn't afford a ransom?"

"No," said Gibbs.

"Although he puts on a good show," said McGee. "Someone on the outside might have thought he'd have the money."

"Anyone else who might pay a ransom?" asked Hardman. "Tony said something about family in the UK …"

Gibbs and Tim, who were in the know, snorted in laughter, "Not likely," said Gibbs.

"They'd have the money," said Tim, "But he's not close with them. Like Gibbs said, it's not likely they'd pay."

"And don't kidnappers do research before they snatch someone?" asked Ellie doubtfully.

"Does DiNozzo have any cases where he might be under pressure to stop investigating? Or anything with sensitive information?" asked Gibbs.

"Not that I know of," said Hardman, "Like I said before, all his current cases were closed before he handed over to me. And a lot of work is the community work, nothing sensitive there. And the cases we work with other agencies, the other agencies usually take the lead on prosecutions: we're just there to oil the wheels. Could it be a NCIS case?"

"Could be," said Gibbs, "But he's been gone from NCIS for more than three years. Can't think anyone wants him for information …"

"So revenge after all?" said Ellie sadly.

"But revenge that nobody knows about?" said McGee.

"What's next, Agent Gibbs?" asked Hardman.

"McGee, get the tape to Abby. Ask her to run every sort of analysis she can to try and identify who these people are."

"On it, Boss."

"And then hit the rack. Nothing more we can do tonight. We'll start afresh tomorrow."

NCISNCIS

Gibbs didn't sleep well that night and got up early the next morning to take a walk down to Tony's cabin. He thought the fresh air might stimulate his tired brain cells into some sudden insight and he found it useful to return to the scene of the _incident_. As he approached he saw that he was not the only early bird …

" _Daddy!" squealed Tali excitedly, "You made my shoes wet!"_

" _You made my shirt wet," replied Tony. "And I'm coming to get you …" and he ran towards Tali with a dripping wet sponge. Tali shrieked again and ran away. Ruskin barked excitedly and managed to get in everyone's way._

"Sutherland?" said Gibbs breaking into John's reverie.

"What?" Sutherland jumped at Gibbs' words. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming."

"Yeah, I got that," said Gibbs.

"I was thinking … remembering," said Sutherland.

"Yeah, I know what that's like too," said Gibbs.

"Tony and Tali love this ATV," said John as he continued to look at the all-terrain vehicle. "Always make sure to clean it after they've used it. Tony says you have to make sure you get rid of the sand. But cleaning it usually ends up with a water fight!"

"I can imagine," said Gibbs. "And DiNozzo loves his cars … so I guess he loves his ATVs as well. You on your way to Millie's?" John ate a lot of his meals at Millie's and in particular never missed one of her breakfasts. Gibbs waited expectantly but John continued to gaze at the ATV. "Sutherland?"

"That's strange," said John, "I didn't think of it before."

"What?"

"The ATV is dirty."

"And?"

"Tony and Tali cleaned it the day before Tony disappeared … so why's it dirty now?" He pointed to the sand which covered the small vehicle.

"You sure?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes. That's what I was thinking about when you came up. I was remembering when they last cleaned the ATV. Tali and Ruskin got very excited … and very wet. What do you think it means?"

"Not sure. Perhaps they used it to take Tony somewhere."

"And then brought it back?" said John sceptically.

"They thought we wouldn't notice," said Gibbs.

"Why would that matter?"

"If they had time to bring it back … maybe that means they didn't go far. The shorter the distance they drove the less chance of being spotted," said Gibbs.

"He's somewhere close by?" John looked around almost as if he expected to see Tony behind a bush.

"Could be," said Gibbs, deciding not to give voice to the thought that the ATV had been used to dump a body. "I'll get the forensics team to go over it. Whoever took it might have left some evidence behind." He took his phone out to summon McGee but then saw him walking up with Bishop.

"Hey, Boss," he said, "Abby just called."

Hope blossomed in Gibbs' heart, "Yeah?"

"She's been over the tape, but nothing jumped out at her apart from thinking she could hear the sound of two engines outside. She's trying to figure it out."

"Tony's ATV," said Gibbs, "Looks as if it was _borrowed_ and then brought back."

"I'll tell her," said McGee, "She's going to carry on checking the tape anyway."

"Get her to check if the tape picks up the ATV coming back," ordered Gibbs. "We might get a time frame on how far they travelled."

"On it, Boss," said McGee.

"And take a look at the ATV. And then get it to Abby," said Gibbs, "Tell her to look at it."

"Looking for anything in particular?" asked Ellie even as she took evidence gloves out of her pocket.

"Hell, I don't know. A seed from a rare plant only found in a three-hundred-yard patch of ground. DNA from someone with a genetic mutation or saliva from a guy who's picked up an unusual tropical disease. You know, the sort of thing Abby usually finds."

"Uh, Gibbs," said Ellie, "You do know that sort of thing is really unusual? Most of the time Abby doesn't find anything like that. She'd have to be real lucky to spot something like that."

"And Tony doesn't usually have that sort of luck," said McGee gloomily.

"We won't know if we don't try," said Gibbs as he strode off.

"Is that another rule?" asked Bishop of McGee.

"Who knows? I don't think they're fixed."

Gibbs called Abby as he walked back to the café with John. "Abs …"

"Gibbs, Gibbs …" she replied.

"Something wrong, Abs?" he asked.

"No. I mean apart from Tony being missing. Why?"

"You only said Gibbs, Gibbs. It's usually three Gibbs."

"Well, I was trying to save time," she said earnestly, "I've worked out that it probably takes me half a second to say _Gibbs_ and I probably say it at least 20 times a day so I'd save 10 seconds a day. And that amounts to 1.01388889 hours a year assuming I say it every day of the year. And I know I might not say it _every_ day of the year because even you take a vacation sometimes but I figure that when I see you when you come back from vacation I'm so excited that I say it even more often so it balances out."

"Abs …"

"I know," she said forlornly, "I've probably just used up ten seconds of the 1.01388889 hours I could have saved."

"No, not that," he said tolerantly, "Have you heard from Mr DiNozzo Senior?"

"No," she said sadly, "And I've been trying to find him but he seems to have gone to ground. You know that when Tony moved to Raleigh I kinda took over the Tuesday lunches … when I'm free which isn't always because I often have to work through my lunch break …"

"I know, Abs."

"I know you know, Gibbs but it never hurts to remind people that I work really, really hard. Where was I?"

"Talking about Tony's Dad."

"Oh yes. Well, I often … sometimes … have lunch with him and I was due last week but he rang me up and said he'd have to cancel."

"He say why?"

"No. He was a bit evasive but I didn't worry too much."

"You didn't?" This was a surprise as, in Gibbs' experience, Abby could and did worry about pretty much anything.

"No. Tony said Senior is always going off the grid. He gets some project in mind or something or someone shows up and he goes off. And when I saw him the last time he was worried."

"About what?"

"He didn't say but he did mention that he'd been to a new swimming pool and didn't like the chlorine."

"And that worried him?"

"Gibbs, the wrong level of chlorine can be dangerous. It can lead to asthma or irritation of the eye," said Abby in a worried voice.

"Did Mr DiNozzo show any symptoms of those things?"

"Well, no," said Abby.

"We need to find him, Abs," said Gibbs. "I think that tape confirms that Tony went off with someone. It's time to tell Senior."

"You don't think the same person who's got Tony has got Senior too, do you?"

"They might have taken Tony to make it easier to cope with Senior," said Gibbs drily.

"Not nice, Gibbs, not nice," said Abby reprovingly. After a pause she added, "But you could be right."

"Get on it, will you?" said Gibbs.

"Your wish is my command," said Abby and she ended the call.

"Do you think it matters?" asked John, "That the ATV was borrowed?"

"Not so much that it was borrowed," said Gibbs, "But that it was returned."

"How so?"

"Makes me think that something happened close by. If they were using to get to a rendezvous, then why not just dump it? Bringing it back suggests that they're trying to throw us off the trail."

"And that that trail ends somewhere near?" said John.

"Maybe," shrugged Gibbs.

"But Detective Hardman's team has been searching," said John.

"Then they need to search again," said Gibbs sternly.

NCISNCIS

Hardman had got into the habit of coming to the café for breakfast as a way of meeting up with Gibbs and discussing plans for the day. When Gibbs got there, he was already halfway through one of Millie's breakfasts. Millie favoured Gibbs with a firm look and put a well-laden plate in front of him,

"You might as well eat, Agent Gibbs," she said. "You probably won't eat the rest of the day and a few minutes to refuel will be well spent."

"No arguments here," said Gibbs.

Between bites he brought Hardman up-to-date with the findings about the ATV.

"Doesn't get us any further though, does it?" said the detective.

"If you knew Tony like I do, you'd know he's tough to get rid of," said Gibbs.

"I guess," said Hardman, "But his work is different now."

"And?"

"Well, the liaison work with Feds may be what gets your attention but most of his time is spent with the Community part of the job."

"You think he's gone soft?"

Hardman shrugged, "It's still a hard job but the skillset is different."

"Seems to me that he acted pretty quick to try and leave us clues," said Gibbs swallowing back irritation, "Left the licence plate number and set the recorder. Quick reactions – like he always had." He gulped at his coffee and said, "I want us to start searching again. Draw up a list of isolated buildings where he may be stashed."

"Search area?"

"Bishop!" bellowed Gibbs.

Ellie came hurrying in from the room which Millie had set aside for NCIS, "Gibbs?"

"Find out the range of Tony's ATV. See if we can work out how far it could have travelled."

"Yes, Gibbs."

Gibbs' phone rang at that moment and he scowled as he saw the caller ID, "Leon, I'm busy."

"I'm glad to hear it," said the Director drily. "Any news?"

"Nothing concrete. Like I told you last night, indications that DiNozzo was taken against his will. And possibly not taken far," said Gibbs managing to keep his temper.

"Hmm … listen …"

"Leon, we need to try and find Tony's father. We might need a warrant to do some digging. Can you get Legal on to it?"

"I'll get on to it. But I need you to take a call."

"What about?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't give me any details."

"Leon, I don't have time for this. Tell him I'll get back to him."

"Gibbs," said Vance firmly, "You'll take this call. And that's an order."


	6. Chapter 6

PREVIOUSLY

Tony sighed as he ended the call to Detective Hardman: he had mixed feelings about the new job … _temporary_ job, he reminded himself. He enjoyed being CAFALO and would have been content to stay in the job but when, he thought ruefully, had contentment ever come his way?

A noise outside made him look out of the window and he frowned in puzzlement as he saw three men climb out of a green van and walk towards the cabin. Why, he wondered, were Brad Pitt, Colin Firth and Tom Hanks coming to see him? Curiosity turned swiftly to alarm as he realised that _Brad, Colin_ and _Tom_ were wearing celebrity face masks to disguise their identity and he suspected that the bulges in their pockets weren't concealing gifts.

Tony's first instinct to grab his gun had to be discarded: he couldn't risk a gun fight with Tali close by and there was no back door to escape through. He rapidly decided that his best option was to go along with whatever the new arrivals wanted but he wanted to leave clues if possible. He risked another look out of the window and took note of the licence plate before scribbling it down on Tali's latest art work. Tony almost found himself hoping the guys _were_ trouble because otherwise he had risked Tali's wrath for nothing. He looked around for other inspiration and saw the recorder that was Tali's latest favourite thing and he switched it on trusting that it would be sensitive enough to pick up whatever was said.

Tony had barely finished these preparations when there was a knock on the door.

"Can I help you?" he said.

The three men had drawn their weapons.

"Mr DiNozzo, come with us," said one of them.

"Excuse me?" said Tony as he tried to play for time.

"I think you understand what you need to do," came the reply.

Tony hesitated, he wanted to argue or make a fuss but there was something chilly and implacable about the three people in front of him. Finally, he said,

"I need to settle my daughter."

"Of course. I'm sure we know how important your daughter is to you. You'll do anything to keep her safe, won't you?" The words were, on the surface, friendly but they did nothing to reassure Tony.

"Give me a minute," he said.

"No longer," said the man.

"Tali, here's a snack," said Tony. "Be good for Daddy." He rested a hand gently on Tali's head but she was obviously sulking because he had touched her drawing and was refusing to be softened by extra snacks. Perhaps it was for the best; at least it meant she hadn't looked up to see who was speaking to her father.

"Finished?"

"Finished," said Tony.

"Come with us."

Tony took one last look at Tali, hoping she would be OK and that John would soon be back and discover she was alone. He walked towards the door but as soon as he took a step outside he felt a sharp bang to the back of his head and he fell into blackness.

Tali continued her crayoning.

NCISNCIS

"Ow," said Tony as he awoke sometime later. It took him a while to remember what had happened to cause him to be lying on a hard floor of a bare room. The room was illuminated by a row of narrow windows high above him and, from the limited light coming through, Tony guessed that some hours had passed. His watch was missing and so, for some reason, were his trainers.

Tony rolled to his feet and walked to the door. It felt like a cliché but he tried the door just in case. It was locked, of course but Tony couldn't help but feel how embarrassed he would be if his captors had forgotten to secure it and he had never checked. Sitting meekly in an unlocked room while he waited for rescue was not a scenario he wanted to picture.

Tony scanned the room and couldn't see any sign of surveillance cameras: that pleased him as it meant that if he came up with an escape plan he would be able to work on it in secret. He corrected himself, not _if_ he came up with an escape plan but _when._ He had always been someone to try and look on the bright side and, after some minutes, decided that it was a good sign that his kidnappers had disguised themselves as that meant they didn't want him to know who they were: perhaps that meant they intended to let him go once they got what they wanted.

The brief flare of optimism was soon squelched as Tony gloomily reflected that, if his captors were after a ransom, they would be disappointed. Tony could think of nobody who would be both able and willing to pay money to get him back. Senior _might_ be willing but would certainly not be able while the Paddingtons would be able but almost certainly not willing.

"Maybe it's not money they want," said Tony hopefully but this was also a depressing thought. He didn't think he knew anything of value and he hoped he would be strong enough to resist being compelled to co-operate in something criminal. And then, with a lurch to his heart and stomach, his thoughts turned to Tali …

Tali, who was full of mischief and scarily unpredictable. Who know what she might get up to left alone? Tony could only hope that John came home as soon as he had eaten at Millie's rather than decide to go on a painting expedition along the coast. And then Tony pictured Tali realising that she had been abandoned … _not abandoned, Sweetheart_ , he yearned to reassure her … it wasn't my fault. Tony wondered if he should somehow have made a run for it; perhaps he could have pushed Tali through the bathroom window and followed her out although he doubted if he could have squeezed through. _If … when … I get out of this,_ he thought, _I'm getting a back door fitted._ Admittedly, there was nowhere a back door could lead to but he'd find a solution; perhaps John would let him build a gate into his own yard.

With these thoughts turning over in his brain, Tony suddenly became aware that footsteps were coming towards the door and he braced himself for what was to come.

"What do you want with me?" he demanded as one of his captors, _Brad Pitt_ , entered the room with _Colin Firth_ ready to back him up.

Brad said nothing but gestured to him to back away before placing a tray on the floor.

"You won't get away with this," said Tony cursing that he couldn't think of anything more original to say.

Brad made no response and the eyes that Tony could see beyond the mask looked bored. Moments later, he had left the room and the door had thudded shut. A sturdy door, Tony noted with dismay. Tony's stomach rumbled plaintively, adding to his feeling that it was some hours since his abduction and, although it seemed unheroic, he knew he needed food.

" _Just eat something, DiNozzo!_ " he imagined hearing Gibbs grunt and he smiled. Hope welled up again, surely Gibbs would be on the case … or would he? Director Vance was not noted for being a DiNozzo fan and he wasn't NCIS's concern any more. Would Vance allow Gibbs to investigate when Tony wasn't in his jurisdiction? And then Tony grinned, the words _Gibbs_ and _jurisdiction_ weren't natural bedfellows. Jethro would be there.

Tony looked to see what he had been left on the tray: a bottle of water, some egg sandwiches and a packet of Oreos. He sniffed cautiously but nothing smelled odd so he decided to risk eating and drinking although he wondered how long the food was supposed to last him. As another thought struck him he looked around the room once more and noticed with slight disfavour that a bucket had been left in the corner.

"Oh well," he said philosophically, "Kate always did think I was a pig!"

After Tony ate the sandwiches, he found his emotions continuing to veer between optimism and pessimism.

"I guess it's all part of this crappy year," he said to himself.

Tony wasn't sure why he always felt the need to present a cheerful face to the world but thought some of it went back to his somewhat lonely childhood. He had soon learned that unless he appeared happy and confident, people didn't want to hang out with him or invite him back to their place. Admittedly, pity sometimes got him invitations but being _fun_ and undemanding was a surer bet.

Recent months had, however, tested his resolve. He tried to look on the bright side: that Tali was growing up beautiful and happy; that his relationship with Senior was better than it had been for years … but remembering Senior brought its own niggles. Tony couldn't honestly blame Senior for Mac's departure and he tried to think it was a vindication of his skills in selecting Mac that Senior should praise his Nanny so much to the Abingdons but he wished that Senior could have delayed his boasting for a few more months. And Tony definitely couldn't blame Mac for taking up the offer of a lifetime and he admired the fact that Mac had clearly been reluctant to leave … but Tali's misery at losing Mac had been hard to bear even without the added work of looking after her.

And then, of course, there had been the rumours circulating around Milsom Bay about the reasons the retreat centre idea had fallen through. Tony had a fair idea how those rumours had begun but he had decided that there was no point in asserting that _he_ was innocent and that people would soon turn to other topics of gossip.

The issue that his friends in Milsom Bay had delicately avoiding talking about unless Tony initiated the subject was Commander Burke. Tony sighed as he thought about her once more but he found himself wondering if her departure had been a good thing or a bad thing.

Ducky was right to think that Tony never quite believed that he would get a happy ending but he was also honest enough with himself to question whether Melanie had ever been destined to be the love of his life. The two had had fun together and shared many of the same interests: Tony was realistic enough to know that he was unlikely _ever_ to find someone who was quite such a movie buff as him. So, for a couple of months, they had got on well enough to make the prospect of Mel settling down to live nearby an appealing one but then things had begun to peter out until they both agreed that their future was as friends and not lovers or life partners. Tony had almost been relieved when the Pink House idea fell through and Mel moved to Pearl Harbour. He had promised to take Tali to visit one day but somehow he thought that both he and Mel had fallen in love with the _idea_ of being in love rather than actually wanting to be together for the rest of their lives.

In the midst of these reflections on the _crappiness_ of recent events, Tony fell asleep and didn't awake until the next morning. His eyes opened sluggishly as he tried to remember why he wasn't at home in bed and why he hadn't been awoken by a small child crawling under his covers. He sat up in alarm as he tried to think where Tali was and then slumped back when he remembered. He wrapped his arms around himself against the chill in the room and wished they were filled with a wriggling little girl.

As he moved he heard a rustling and realised that a newspaper had fallen from his chest. Tony picked it up and saw that it bore that day's date, he puzzled over why his kidnappers had provided him with reading material before the thought came to him that they might have taken a photograph of him with the newspaper as proof of life.

Tony considered this possibility although he wasn't sure that a _proof of life_ with the subject out cold would be very convincing. He noticed that a plate of oatmeal had been left for him along with another bottle of water so it appeared that his captors weren't intending to starve him. Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly and mused over another puzzle – why was he so tired and why had he not awoken when Brad, Clint or Tom had come into the room. It didn't take long for him to realise that the food or water had been drugged and he buried his face in his hands as he considered another dilemma. Should he continue to eat and drink what was supplied and risk being sluggish and lethargic or refuse everything and risk being hungry and thirsty _and_ being kept subdued in a more unpleasant or violent way?

"Damn," said Tony, "Gibbs, I really hope you're on the case."


	7. Chapter 7

Tony looked once more at the oatmeal and the bottle of water and decided that, as the water was in a sealed bottle, it was probably safe to drink and that any drugs were in the freshly prepared food. Knowing that the food was likely to be drugged made eating it an unpleasant thought but Tony decided it would be best to eat at least some of it and trust that his captors were aiming to keep him docile rather than unconscious. He thought he could conceal the uneaten food and, if necessary, put it in his bucket as he doubted that his kidnappers would be diligent enough to delve into its contents.

Feeling better for having made a decision, Tony ate a few mouthfuls of oatmeal and braced himself against feeling any soporific effect. He remembered, however, that he had been out of it when the newspaper and food were left so his kidnappers were probably expecting him to be at least slowed down by whatever drugs they were providing so he resolved to look sleepy if they reappeared.

Tony made another inspection of his room but apart from noting that the wooden door seemed to have very sturdy hinges and that the floor was solid without any sign of a hidden trapdoor there wasn't much to discover. There was no heating in the room making Tony think that perhaps it was used as a storeroom. He could hear occasional bumps, thumps and drillings suggesting that the building was occupied in some way although he could not hear any traffic going by. There was a slight tang of salt in the air which made him think that perhaps he was close to the sea; he sighed as he realised that none of these brilliant observations got him anywhere.

Tony heard footsteps approaching and flopped back on to the floor and tried to look lethargic as _Brad_ came in with _Colin_ lurking by the door.

"I don't like oatmeal," he announced – which was true, especially when he suspected it was laced with narcotics.

Brad nodded as if this was reasonable and bent to pick up the dish.

"How did you decide?" asked Tony.

Brad didn't answer but tilted his head in enquiry.

"You know," continued Tony, "You could choose between Colin Firth, Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks. How did you pick Brad? I don't who I'd have chosen …" he allowed himself to trail off before going on, hoping to appear confused by the drugs, "How long are you going to keep me here?"

He only got a shake of the head in reply.

"Can I have a pen … or a pencil?" he asked. "Nothing else to do. Not that I want to complain about the accommodation but you haven't exactly laid on any entertainment. If you let me have a pen I could do the crossword in the paper."

Brad seemed to consider this.

"Not as if I could pick the lock with a pen," said Tony. "Although I know some brainiacs who probably could. Or set off some sort of explosion with the graphite in a pencil … but not me. But I could do the crossword." He yawned.

Brad nodded and drew out a pen from an inside pocket and threw it down to Tony.

"Thanks, Brad," said Tony. "Never thought a movie star would give me a pen."

Brad shook his head and retreated. The door banged shut and Tony heard a key being turned.

"At least there's only one lock," said Tony. "When I devise a lock pick from a pen and a newspaper I'll be golden."

The rest of the day passed boringly. The bangs and drillings continued intermittently. Tony completed most of the crossword and other puzzles as well as reading the newspaper from cover to cover. He even read the financial pages and considered whether he should make a change to some of his investments but somehow he doubted that he would be allowed a phone call to his broker. He spread the newspaper on the ground in an attempt to relieve some of its chill and hardness.

"Ducky wouldn't be pleased to know I'm in this cold room," he thought sadly. "And I'm not exactly happy about it either," he added.

Food arrived periodically and although he was both bored and hungry, Tony tried not to eat all the food but left some and put the remainder in the bucket. Colin arrived to empty the pail but, as Tony had hoped, didn't seem inclined to inspect its contents too closely.

"Any chance of something warm to eat?" asked Tony as Colin walked away. "Or a shower? Oh well, I guess none of you are exactly Chatty Cathys," he said philosophically as, once again, he got no reply.

In the evening of the day, however, there was a change in routine when _Tom_ appeared rather than Colin or Brad although Colin stood by the door.

"Loved you in _Splash,"_ said Tony in a slurred voice which wasn't entirely fake, "Not so sure about _Sleepless in Seattle_ but I guess you've fallen on hard times if you've taken to kidnapping."

"It's easy work," came the reply. "And, like acting, there's a lot of hanging around doing nothing."

"Hey," said Tony, "Being an actor was great preparation for this then. I'm surprised that more movie stars don't make the switch. Although, from a crime fighting perspective I'd have to say that I'm glad they don't. Although," he added thoughtfully, "Some of the movies I've seen recently have been crimes so perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing if they did change careers." He smiled a goofy smile.

"You know, Mr DiNozzo, I don't quite _buy_ into this cheerful idiot persona," said Tom.

Tony wanted to retort that people were usually happy to take him at face value but decided not to, "I guess I just don't want you to get fed up of me being around. I don't want to be any trouble … or rude."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, to be honest," Tony leaned forward conspiratorially, "I think this may be a case of mistaken identity."

"Indeed?"

"Indeed. I don't think there's anyone who's going to _pay_ to get me back. So you'd be better off just letting me go."

"And we'll say nothing more about it?" came the affable reply.

"Well," hesitated Tony, "I doubt if we could quite say that but somehow I think you'd be able to get away. You seem an efficient sort of guy."

"Thank you," said Tom, "But it would be a shame after all our hard work. And I can assure that you are more valuable than you believe."

"Well, to my daughter," said Tony, "But she's only a kid. She hasn't developed her judgement yet … but when she does I'm expecting to be shown the door."

"This has been most amusing," said Tom, "I expect we will have the chance for many more such conversations."

"You expect me to be here for a while then?"

"Oh, I think so. Like a good meal, a ransom should not be rushed."

"Any chance of something hot to eat?" asked Tony, "You know, if we're going to be housemates for a while?"

"You won't starve," promised Tom.

"Or a blanket … a pillow, perhaps?" asked Tony.

Tom shook his head and moved to the door.

"… or a gun or a flame thrower?" said Tony softly.

NCISNCIS

Two more days passed in much the same way as Tony's first day in captivity. The food and water continued to be supplied and Tony continued to eat sparingly and disguise the leftovers as much as possible. Each day began with a photo of Tony with that day's newspaper; Tony tried to be glad of that as he was left the paper to read and afterwards it provided some cushioning against the chill of the ground. He tried not to worry that the proofs of life seemed to be falling on deaf ears and he pictured the photos going the rounds of potential payers with each saying no.

Tom paid some more visits and was the only one of the kidnappers to speak to him. Tony kept up the pretence of being more doped up than he really was and tried to build some rapport with Tom although he suspected that Tom was toying with him and only came to talk to him because he was almost as bored as Tony was. Tony heard an argument between Tom and the others one day and he wasn't sure to be optimistic or pessimistic about this falling out among thieves.

On the fourth day there was a change in routine. All three of the kidnappers arrived mid-morning and Brad and Colin had guns in their hands.

"Get up," ordered Tom.

Tony got up slowly and took care to lurch a little as if he was more under the influence of the drugs than he really was.

"Hands out," said Tom.

Tony frowned at this but saw no point in refusing. Tom swiftly slapped his wrists in handcuffs.

"Turn around."

This was another thing that Tony really didn't want to do but his policy was still to go along with what they wanted and so he turned around. Tom put a blindfold over his eyes,

"Move it!"

As Tony hesitated, Tom grabbed an arm and marched Tony out of the room. Tony felt a welcome breath of fresh air as he stumbled along but it seemed that they were soon indoors once more. After a few more shambling steps, he was thrust into a chair.

"Stay there!"

As he sat there, the blindfold was unfastened from his eyes and placed over his mouth as a gag. Tony looked around but the new room was as empty as the room he was being kept in and the windows had been covered over so he couldn't see out.

"Time for show and tell," said Tom with false joviality.

Tony realised that the room was not quite empty after all as a camcorder of some sort was set up on a tripod in a corner of the room.

At a nod from Tom, Colin placed that day's newspaper in Tony's hands.

"Hold it up," said Tom, "We want everyone to see."

Tony sighed behind his gag; he was getting really fed up with being ordered around but he did as he was told.

"Here you are," said Tom to the camera, "Anthony DiNozzo Jr alive … and mostly well. If you want him back, you'll need to pay the $10 million."

Tony gasped. Now he knew that he was screwed, there was nobody who would pay that much for him.

"We will send instructions," said Tom politely. "I suggest that you follow them. It would be a shame if his daughter was to become an orphan." He turned to look at Tony and, behind the mask, Tony saw a speculative look dawn in his eyes. "Perhaps we should add an incentive for you to follow our instructions," he said.

The room was already cold but an extra chill went down Tony's spine at these words. Tom nodded to Brad who stepped forward and punched Tony in the face. Tony fell off the chair on to the floor and while he was there Colin followed up with a kick in the stomach. Tony gasped through the gag as he was lifted back to the chair.

"A little taste of what might be in store for our friend if you don't pay up," said Tom.

Tony glared at Tom as he rubbed at his sore mouth but then he showed his contempt by simply raising his arms in a yawn. It was probably as well that he was wearing a gag, his words might not have been polite.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony was taken back to 'his' old room shortly after the assault. It seemed that Tom wanted to make sure that the recipients of the camcorder footage got a clear view of what had happened and then finished the recording. The gag was removed from his mouth and replaced over his eyes for the journey but Tony didn't feel in the mood for conversation.

When he was alone again, Tony considered the implications of what had happened and decided they were not good. He had been aware that tensions were rising between his kidnappers and now that he had experienced the coldblooded violence he was even more concerned.

"Time to blow this joint," he muttered to himself. "But how?"

NCISNCIS

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE CAFE

"Gibbs," said Gibbs curtly when Vance told him that the call was going through.

"Please hold," came a cool voice.

Gibbs sighed and considered ending the call but felt it wouldn't be the end of the matter.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" came a gentle voice after a few moments.

"Yes."

"Ah, you may not remember _me_ but I remember you very well."

"Yes?"

"We met at the Adams House Hotel in Washington when I arrived to visit with my sons …"

"I'm sorry …" began Gibbs.

"I am Prince Omar Ibn Alwaan …"

"Sir," said Gibbs as he finally realised who his caller was. "I do remember you. We met when NCIS was investigating the murder of your son's driver." The disapproval was clear in Gibbs' voice: one of the Prince's son had been found to be responsible for the killing but had been whisked away, claiming diplomatic immunity, before he could be charged in the US.

"I'm glad you remember, Special Agent Gibbs."

"Sir, this isn't a good time to talk. I'm away from the office at the moment. Could we make arrangements for another time?" Gibbs hoped that Vance would be pleased with his diplomatic skills.

"I understand, Special Agent Gibbs," came the slightly hesitant reply, "May I ask, is your absence from the office connected in any way with Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo?"

"He no longer works for NCIS," said Gibbs guardedly.

"I see. Then I may be talking to the wrong person after all," said the Prince.

"May be not," said Gibbs.

"Special Agent Gibbs, allow me to be open with you. I have received some … correspondence concerning Anthony DiNozzo which has caused me some concern."

"Anthony DiNozzo _Junior_?" asked Gibbs.

"I believe so," said the Prince, "Have you reason to think that it is his father who might be of concern?"

"We don't know where he is," said Gibbs.

"You have been looking for him?"

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

"Because we don't know where his son is either. And we thought he should know."

"Ah," said the Prince.

"Do _you_ know where he is?" asked Gibbs.

"Anthony Senior or Junior?"

"Both, but Junior is my main concern."

"I fear I do not know where either of the DiNozzos is," said Prince Omar.

"Then, Sir, with all due respect, you need to let me get on with looking for them," said Gibbs.

"But I may be able to help with that," said the Prince.

"How?"

"As I said, I have received communications regarding Anthony Junior which have caused me some concern."

"Why have _you_ received communications, Sir?"

"I will admit that I was surprised, Special Agent Gibbs. They appear to be ransom demands."

"What?!"

"Our embassy in Washington received two photographs of Anthony DiNozzo Jr. In the first he appeared to be unconscious and in the second he was awake. In both he was holding a current newspaper."

Gibbs' fists clenched at the news that Tony had been unconscious while Ellie and Tim gasped in shock. Hardman maintained a stoic silence.

"Why are we only hearing about this now?" demanded Gibbs.

"I understand your impatience," said the Prince, "The first two communications were sent without comment. It took the embassy staff some time to establish the subject of the pictures. When they had done so they notified me of the communications addressed to me."

"And what happened then?" asked Gibbs.

"A third communication was received at the embassy and they notified me swiftly of its arrival."

"And what did that look like, Sir … Your Royal Highness?" asked McGee, "Er, Special Agent Timothy McGee speaking. I'm on Agent Gibbs' team."

"He looked in good health, Special Agent McGee. The lighting in the place where he is being held was not good but he seemed to be sitting up and aware of what was going on."

"Anything different about the third _communication_?" asked Gibbs.

"Indeed, there was a letter attached to the photograph."

"And what was in the letter?"

"A demand for $10 million."

There was another collective gasp at this news.

"Why are they asking _you_ for the money, Your Royal Highness?" asked Ellie.

"And you are?" asked the Prince.

"Special Agent Eleanor Bishop," said Gibbs curtly.

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs. I believe I have been asked for the money due to my friendship with Tony DiNozzo Sr. Our friendship is of longstanding, you see."

"Not really, Sir," said Gibbs.

"Agent Gibbs, you will be aware that the Saudi royal family is a target for kidnappers but also that we are so much hedged around with security so that an attempt at abduction would be a fruitless endeavour. I believe that the kidnappers in this case have ascertained that I am very fond of Tony Sr and would do much to spare him pain. $10 million is an inconsiderable amount for me and I would be willing to pay it."

"Why not kidnap Tony's father?" asked McGee, "I mean, Tony Jr's father, not Tony Sr's father."

"I will confess that that thought occurred to me as well," said the Prince, "But I have not been able to contact Tony Sr."

"Doesn't matter," said Gibbs briskly, "They've got our Tony and we need to find him. Prince, I'll arrange for the letters and photos to be collected from your embassy. We'll get our forensic scientist to examine them. Are you happy to go along with the kidnappers' demands?"

"Assuredly, I will co-operate in any way possible," replied the Prince. "But there is something else."

"Yes?"

"The communication yesterday indicated that instructions regarding the ransom will be sent today along with more information."

"Let us know when it is received," said Gibbs.

"I will do that. Agent Gibbs …"

"Sir?"

"I am concerned that this may be more than simply a demand for money."

"Sir?"

"My friendship with Tony Sr, and other Americans, is sometimes a subject of disagreement among my countrymen. If it becomes known that I have paid a ransom for an American's release it is possible that that knowledge will be used to damage my reputation. I fear that there may be a political element to the kidnapping rather than just a monetary one. Please understand, I am willing to pay the ransom. I was favourably impressed with Agent DiNozzo when I met him briefly and I would not wish to see him harmed as a result of my friendship with his father but …"

"I understand, Sir."

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs. I am currently in Monte Carlo but our embassy is in constant contact with me. We will arrange to contact you when we receive the next message from the kidnappers."

"Boss," said McGee, "Monte Carlo is where Senior was headed. Is that a coincidence?"

"Don't know, Tim," said Gibbs.

Hardman's phone rang at that moment, he listened to the call, "OK, I'll be there."

"What?" asked Gibbs.

"Tony's watch has just been found. Along the beach about fifteen miles down from his cabin," he replied.

"How did they know it's Tony's watch?" asked Ellie.

"It's engraved, _To Tony from the MCRT. Good luck and thanks for the movie memories!"_ replied Hardman.

"Oh," said McGee, "When he left, we got him that watch."

"Should've got Abby to put the tracker in like she wanted," said Gibbs.

"Fifteen miles," said Ellie, "That's probably about the limit for Tony's ATV, his model doesn't have a big tank and it would have been running on sand."

"Bishop, get on to Abby. Tell her to get hold of the photos at the embassy. McGee, Hardman you're with me … we'll go to where they found the watch."

Tim had thought he was used to driving with Gibbs but he plumbed new depths of terror when riding with Gibbs on an ATV over sand dunes. For the first time ever in his visits to Milsom Bay, he was grateful that he hadn't had time to have one of Millie's breakfasts. As Gibbs swept to a halt when directed by Hardman, Tim tumbled off the ATV and began to devise ways of walking back to the café.

"Where did you find it?" asked Gibbs calmly.

Tim noted enviously that even his hair didn't seem to be disturbed. Tim rubbed a trembling hand over his own dishevelled hair and waited for instructions.

Gibbs walked to the spot indicated by the Milsom Bay police officer and looked down.

"McGee, shoot. Hardman, bag and tag," ordered Gibbs.

As they set to, Gibbs asked the local officer, "Many people come this way?"

"No, Sir." Gibbs twitched but didn't correct him. "It's a good place for a boat to leave from."

"How so?"

"Deeper water here than other spots."

Gibbs nodded, approving his brevity. "Any signs of a boat coming ashore here?"

"No. Tides been in and out too many times for there to be any traces."

Gibbs nodded again and returned to McGee and Hardman. "Found anything?"

"Nothing obvious, Boss," said McGee, "But we'll pick up anything within five yards."

"Do that," said Gibbs. "I'll head back. I'll send Bishop down … in a car."

Tim sighed with relief while Hardman looked a little disappointed to be missing another death defying trip.

NCISNCIS

Later that afternoon, the Prince called again.

"Special Agent Gibbs, we have received another delivery from the kidnappers. They have sent a visual recording. If you supply us with an email address, we can email it to you so you can watch it."

Gibbs nodded to McGee who provided the details. While they were waiting, Gibbs said,

"How was the recording received?"

"We are not sure. It was delivered by courier but so far we have been unable to ascertain who hired him."

"Tell …" began Gibbs.

"The embassy is sending the relevant details to NCIS, Special Agent Gibbs, along with security footage of when the package was delivered," said the Prince.

"Got it," said McGee, "Ready, Boss?"

Gibbs, Hardman and Ellie gathered around Tim's laptop and watched as Tony was brought into the room, handcuffed and blindfolded. They saw the blindfold being removed and then used as a gag. They listened as _Tom_ talked and then gasped in horror when Tony was attacked. Gibbs' eyes narrowed as Tony was hauled back to the chair and felt his mouth ruefully before stretching disdainfully.

Tom nodded to Colin who held up a notice with bank details on. "Your instructions, Prince Omar. Please follow them. Transfer the money at 12 noon tomorrow."

The recording ended.

"McGee, get Abby on to it. Bishop, you and McGee do what you can here to analyse it."

McGee and Bishop stayed still for a moment as they absorbed what they had just seen before swinging into action.

"What do you want me to do, Agent Gibbs?" asked Hardman.

"Check with the Coastguard again," said Gibbs, "See if they've got any reports of boats in the area the day that Tony was taken." Hardman nodded. "Prince, are you ready to do what the kidnappers want?"

"Yes, Agent Gibbs," came the reply.

"We'll be in touch about the arrangements," said Gibbs. "We'll try to trace where the money goes."

"Very well. I will let you know if they make any further contact," said the Prince.

"Thank you, Sir," said Gibbs. "Thank you."

He turned to his agents and saw them each looking intently at their laptops sizing up what they could see on the video.

"Poor Tony," said Ellie.

"You think he was taken out by boat, Boss?" asked McGee.

"Possibly," said Gibbs. "But it could be a misdirect."

"Gibbs?" asked Ellie.

"Seems careless to have dropped the watch there," said Gibbs.

"Unless Tony dropped it," suggested McGee. "You know, as a clue."

"Could be," agreed Gibbs. "But the trainers were left and that was kind of a misdirect."

McGee and Bishop nodded.

"Anything in the video to help?" asked Gibbs.

"Nothing stands out," said Tim.

"It looks like a big space," offered Ellie, "But it's shrouded in cloths so it's hard to make out any details."

"Any background noise?" asked Gibbs.

"That'll take Abby to find out," said McGee, "My laptop's not got the right program on it."

NCISNCIS

Night was falling when Millie brought in another batch of sandwiches. She saw the MCRT members still gazing at the recording. She sighed when she saw it,

"Poor Tony," she said, echoing Bishop's words. "And it was unprovoked. He wasn't doing anything. And he looked furious. Who would have thought a yawn could be so expressive?"

McGee and Bishop nodded.

"Tony's the master of communication," said McGee.

"There's something odd," said Gibbs who had not taken his eyes off the screen.

"Gibbs?" asked Bishop.

"Can't put my finger on it," said Gibbs. "But Mrs Lacey's right. That yawn …"

"He's tired," said Bishop, "You can see that."

"And Tony doesn't always take the easy way out," said Tim, "He likes to rile people."

"Yeah. But I'm not sure that's what this is about," said Gibbs. He looked again as Tony hit the floor. "Something just happened," he said.

"Uh, he hit the floor," said Bishop. "That had to hurt."

"What, Boss?" asked McGee.

Gibbs looked again as Tony was shoved back on to the chair.

"He touched his lips," Gibbs said. "Or where his lips are under the gag."

"Well, he just got punched there," said Bishop absently.

"And then he stretched his arms up. Look at his hands," said Gibbs.

"Yes?" asked Tim.

"That's sign language for red," said Gibbs. "Touching the lip is the sign for red. And his hands, they're in the shape of a house."

"Red House?" said Ellie. "How does Red House help? What does it mean?"

"Not _Red_ House," said Gibbs triumphantly, " _Pink_ House!"

"He's in the Pink House?" said McGee.

"When he hit the floor … he recognised it," said Gibbs.

"Recognised the floor?" said Bishop doubtfully.

"Tony knows every inch of the Pink House," said Millie.

"It's got wonderful old wooden floors," said Gibbs. "Very distinctive."

"So, he's been just down the coast all this time?" demanded McGee.

"Get Hardman!" ordered Gibbs. "Tell him to round up as many people as possible. We're going to get Tony!"

A few minutes later, the MCRT supported by Raleigh and Milsom Bay officers were streaming towards the Pink House.

"Turns out that the Pink House hasn't actually been sold," said Hardman as he drove with Gibbs. "I just found out. Someone took out an option on it. Said they wanted to do some fact finding so the realtor let them have access to the building to do some surveys but she's got a bit twitchy because she visited during the week and there seemed to be a lot of banging going on."

"Good way of getting access to a building," said Gibbs.

"You think Tony's all right?" asked Hardman.

"Tony's resourceful," said Gibbs, "He sent a message. And if he knows what's good for him, he'll be all right."

Hardman found these elliptical words strangely reassuring but the warm feeling quickly faded as they reached the top of an incline and got a view of the Pink House,

"It's on fire!"


	9. Chapter 9

" _It's on fire!"_

Barely a second after saying these words, Detective Hardman was on the phone to the Fire Service alerting them to the fire. Gibbs was about to issue another directive when Hardman warned them to come silently and to await instructions before dealing with the fire. Gibbs nodded approval and simply said,

"Warn the others."

When they arrived, Gibbs and the others discovered that the fire seemed to have started in the rear of the building.

"McGee, Bishop go through the front," ordered Gibbs. "Take two of the Raleigh officers with you. Hardman, you're with me. Get two of your officers to come with us. The rest of you, spread out and get ready for anyone running out. And remember, one of our own is in there. Tell the firefighters not to go in without an escort from some of you!"

Having given these instructions, Gibbs and Hardman made their way to the back of the building. There they saw that a stone structure separate from the main house was ablaze and, a few yards away, a body lay on the ground.

Gibbs' heart seemed to miss a beat as he gestured to Hardman to investigate.

"It's not Tony," Hardman said, "He's wearing one of those masks. Brad Pitt, I think. He's out cold."

Gibbs smiled grimly as he remembered that _Brad_ was the one who had punched Tony in the face. He went forward towards the building and tried to see if there was anyone still inside.

"Looks empty to me," he said. He took another step forward as if he was going in but Hardman grabbed his arm,

"Don't be an idiot, Gibbs," he said, "You can't go in there …" Even as he spoke the roof collapsed with a crash.

Gibbs and Hardman gazed at the skeleton of the building and then looked up as two firefighters approached cautiously.

"Anyone in there?" asked the first firefighter.

"Don't know. It looked empty," said Gibbs.

"We'll go in," said the second firefighter. "Looks as if it's running out of steam and we've got the gear."

Gibbs looked as if he wanted to grab the gear for himself but forced himself to watch.

"Boss," said McGee as he emerged from the back of the house, "We found someone. Think it's the one who wore the Colin Firth mask."

Gibbs turned to look at the man who McGee and Bishop were holding on to, "Where's DiNozzo?" he demanded.

 _Colin_ looked defiant, "Don't know what you're talking about. You've got no right to be here."

"Save it," said Gibbs briskly, "We've got you on camera assaulting Tony DiNozzo and we know you've been holding him prisoner here."

"We were told it was a joke," Colin tried next.

"Holding someone prisoner and kicking him was a _joke_?" demanded Hardman, he took a step towards Colin but this time it was Gibbs who restrained _him._

"A joke?" Gibbs asked. "You want to try that one again?"

"We were just doing what we were paid for," tried Colin. "It wasn't our idea."

"And that makes it all right?" asked Ellie.

"It was just a job," said Colin sulkily.

"What happened?" asked Gibbs, deciding finding Tony was the most important thing.

"Don't know," began Colin. He looked at Gibbs' face and decided that something more was needed. "Brad went to take food to the guy but he didn't come back. And then we smelled fire. Tom and me, we went to see what had happened and the store place was on fire …"

The firefighters emerged at that moment and said, "Nobody's in there."

The sense of tension relaxed a little and Colin went on, "That's what I was going to say. We couldn't see nobody in there. Tom told me to go back and clear out the gear and get ready to move."

"And where did Tom go? Is that the one who had the Tom Hanks mask on?" asked Gibbs.

"Yeah, it was one of his jokes. Got masks of people who had the same names as us. I'm Colin and he's Brad," he gestured towards the man who was still unconscious on the ground. "And he _said_ he was Tom."

"OK," said Gibbs, "Where did _Tom_ go?"

"Don't know," said Colin, "Out there somewhere. He was real mad. Said he was going to find DiNozzo."

"Are we OK to start damping this down?" asked the lead firefighter, "We want to make sure the fire doesn't spread to the main building."

"Go ahead," said Gibbs. "Bishop, call an ambulance for _Brad_ here. Hardman, get someone to take this clown down to the police station. And then everyone spread out and start looking for DiNozzo."

"I'll go through the house again," said McGee, "Just in case Tony snuck back inside and is hiding there."

"He'd have come out by now, wouldn't he?" asked Bishop.

"If he could," said McGee, "The way this is going, who knows what might happen?"

Gibbs nodded agreement and started organising the search patterns. Some people were sent along the beach while others were sent to the sand dunes to the back of the Pink House.

NCISNCIS

Tony gasped as he ran from the building, somehow he thought he might be due for an appointment with the real (Dr) Brad Pitt as he had been in the smoke filled room longer than was healthy. He decided to make for the sand dunes at the back of the house both because he didn't want to pass in front of the building and because he thought it would be easier to hide among the deep dunes. He tried to still his breathing a little so that he could hear if he was being pursued but his lungs were protesting too much and there was a loud roaring in his ears.

"You can do this," he told himself, "Just a gentle stroll back to the cabin. And Gibbs will be on the case … I hope."

Tony forced himself to keep running although all he wanted to do was lie down and catch his breath. He wondered how long it would be before the fire was spotted and he found himself with mixed feelings about whether or not he wanted the Pink House to burn down or not. On the one hand, he loved the building but on the other, he felt it had caused him nothing but trouble. "Wonder if it's cursed," he mumbled, "… or perhaps it's just me."

His breathing began to ease a little and he felt more equal to scaling the rise to the newly reinstated road but as his hearing cleared he thought he could hear the sound of sand shifting behind him. "Damn," he said, "Why don't they just give up?" He thought he could hear other noises from the direction of the Pink House and began to hope that people had gone to investigate the fire. "Or perhaps I did the sign language right and they've come to find me," he said to himself. "Abby'll be proud of me."

It was odd, that just as hope began to spring, his body decided it had had enough and his legs failed to cope with the shifting sand and he tumbled into one of the dunes. He lay there gasping for breath once more and decided to rest for a moment or two. Then he heard footsteps approaching and, through the gloom, saw someone standing at the top of the dune.

"Tony?" came a gentle voice, "Are you OK?"

"Who are you?" said Tony warily, "Don't come any nearer."

"I'm from Camp Lejeune," came the reply, "We've been deployed to look for you. Don't worry, I'm here to help."

Tony peered through the darkness and saw the man beginning to walk towards him. A contingent from Camp Lejeune sounded like a Gibbs touch.

"Don't worry," the man repeated, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Tony shifted in the sand.

"It's OK. Everything's going to be OK," said the newcomer again.

"I know," said Tony and, finally managing to get to the gun he had taken off Brad, shot Tom in the shoulder.

Moments later, someone else arrived at the top of the dune, "Need a hand, DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.

Tony decided to give up for a few moments and allowed his body the respite it needed.

NCISNCIS

"Well, Anthony," said Ducky cheerfully sometime later, "You have been in the wars. No, leave that oxygen mask on a for few minutes longer, your lungs will be glad of it."

Tony smiled behind the mask and thought how good it was to sit on something other than the floor and to be surrounded by unmasked, _friendly_ faces. Gibbs, Hardman, McGee and Ellie were all clustered around Tony's bed in Dr Murray's clinic. Millie had gone to tell Kit and Andi the good news and arrange for Tali to be returned to Milsom Bay the next day.

" _Brad, Colin_ and _Tom_ are all on their way to Raleigh," said Gibbs. He smiled sweetly at Hardman, "I think the Raleigh PD can do the paperwork. Good work with the sign language, DiNozzo. Although it could have been clearer. Bishop would have had us going to the _Red_ House."

"We've got your watch, and your trainers," said McGee.

"The kidnappers tried to send us all over the place," said Ellie.

"And they used your ATV," said McGee.

Tony looked alarmed for the first time.

"It's OK," said Bishop, "They didn't damage it. Although it needs a good clean."

"We found where you wrote down the licence plate on Tali's drawing," said McGee.

"That was good work," said Gibbs. "Although it didn't help."

Tony looked puzzled.

"They stole the plates off Dr Murray's car," said Bishop. "Put them on that green van we found at the house."

"But it was a good try," said McGee consolingly.

"And Dr Murray will be pleased," said Ducky.

Tony looked puzzled again.

"Jethro had the car shipped to Abby in NCIS and she has spent some time in repairing it. She has made a marvellous job of it. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't enhanced its value. I believe that, should she ever decide on an alternative career, she could set up as a car mechanic. Indeed, she could probably do any number of things, we all know that she is an expert in so many fields …"

"Duck," interrupted Gibbs, "Can DiNozzo take the mask off now? We want to know how he got out."

Ducky looked a little doubtful but, as he was itching to find out as well, nodded his agreement. "Just for a few minutes, and I insist that he uses the nasal cannula instead."

Tony submitted to this and then grinned as he saw the expectant faces looking at him.

"Like old times," he said, "Having the MCRT hanging on my every word."

"Fair enough" said Gibbs, "And you remember what I used to do when you worked for me?" Gibbs flexed his hand reminiscently.

"Understood," said Tony hastily. "Well, I owe it to you, Boss."

"You do?" said Gibbs.

"Rule 9. Hey, Col, you might want to make a note of that."

Hardman looked suitably bewildered. "What?"

McGee, Bishop and Gibbs all took their knives out from hidden places, "Never go anywhere without a knife," they said in unison.

"How did rule 9 help you?" asked McGee.

"Took me a while," admitted Tony. "And then I remembered …"

"DiNozzo!" groused Gibbs, "Get on with it!"

"After the show and tell … when Brad and Colin got violent, I decided it was time to get out. And I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to fight off the effects of whatever they were putting in my food …"

"They were drugging you?" asked Ducky.

"Yes."

"And you forgot to mention this?" said Ducky severely, "You know that you have to be careful about drugs, Anthony. Anything which might suppress your breathing is to be deprecated."

"I know, Ducky. But it's not exactly as if I had any choice about it. And I tried not to eat too much of the food but it was hard to hide it."

"Nevertheless …" began Ducky.

" _And_ you shoved that mask on my face …" said Tony plaintively.

"I would not say that I _shoved_ it on your face," said Ducky, "I positioned it carefully and professionally."

"I apologise," said Tony, "But however it got there made it difficult for me to tell you anything."

"That is true," said Ducky graciously, "And I am sure that, if circumstances had been different, you would have lost no time in telling me that you had been drugged against your will." He stared at Tony who gazed back innocently and tried to give the impression that he would have been eager to share the details with Ducky. "And now that you have told me," continued Ducky, "I will make sure to take some blood and urine samples to assess any damage which may have been done." Tony's innocent look faltered slightly at this news.

"If you two have finished," said Gibbs, "Maybe DiNozzo can carry on with the story."

"Of course," said Ducky, "Pray continue, Anthony."

"Well, I sat there and tried to work out how to get out," said Tony, "But there wasn't a whole lot available. Some plastic dishes, a bucket of … well, you can imagine … and a pile of newspapers. Guess I was lucky that one of them was the weekend edition with all the supplements."

"Go on," said Gibbs.

"And I had a pen but I couldn't work out to pick the lock with that. And then I remembered I had my belt on."

"And?" asked Hardman.

For answer, Tony's hands dropped to his waist and he slid the knife out of his buckle.

"You wear that all the time?" asked Hardman.

"Most of the time," said Tony, "It's habit."

Gibbs nodded approvingly.

"So, all the time you've been showing me how to be CAFALO you've had a secret knife?" said Hardman.

Tony shrugged, "Sure."

"Get on with it," said Gibbs, "Now I remember why my hair went grey. It was waiting for you to finish a report."

"To be fair, Boss," said Tony, "It's more silver than grey." He encountered Gibbs' glare, "And a good look it is on you, Boss. You should be grateful to me. Or not. So, I got my knife out and I remembered …"

"Tony …" said McGee pleadingly, "Just tell us."

"All right, McHasty," said Tony, "I remembered that when I went to buy it, the guy offered me a deal. He said a knife was useful but, for an extra $25 he'd give me a buckle which would be a fire steel I could use with the knife. I said yes but I forgot about it. I mean, it's not like I'm McWoodsman here, wanting to set fires in the wilderness."

"You used your knife to set the fire?" said Ellie.

"Yep," said Tony. "Maybe you need to change the rules, Boss. Rule 9a, never go anywhere without a fire steel."

"Or a lighter," said Gibbs drily.

"True. But I think a lighter would have been taken off me," said Tony.

"So you set your cell on fire?" asked Hardman.

"Well," said Tony judiciously, "I didn't mean to set it on fire exactly. I figured that Brad or Colin would be coming soon to give me something to eat. Or Tom would be along for one of his creepy conversations. So I tried to set the door on fire. Reckoned I'd either be able to get out through the door if it burned down or I'd be able to rush whoever came first."

"And what happened?" asked Ducky.

"Brad came later than I'd expected," admitted Tony. "By that time the room was full of smoke. And getting hot but the door was still holding firm even though I was banging at it."

"Is that how you burned yourself?" asked Ducky, pointing to the marks on Tony's hands and feet.

"Yeah. If the door had opened outwards I could have kicked it down. And if I'd had my shoes. But it didn't and I didn't, so I had to wait," said Tony ruefully. "But it worked in the end. When Brad finally showed up, he opened the door and all this smoke rushed out. And so did I. Knocked him out and took his gun."

"And then you ran?" said Ellie.

"Call me a wuss, but I decided I didn't want to hang around. And I wasn't feeling too good either."

"But you managed to recognise Tom's voice," said Gibbs.

"Took a while," said Tony, "By the time he caught up with me I was beginning to feel dopey. And he'd taken the mask off so I didn't recognise his face but there was something about his voice … and so I decided to shoot first and ask questions after."

"You have had a most adventurous time, Anthony," said Ducky. "Now, put this oxygen mask back on. The rest of the story will have to wait."

 _AN: nearly there. Just one more chapter I think to tie things up. And hey, no cliff hanger!_


	10. Chapter 10

It was after midnight before Ducky decided it was safe for Tony to go back to his cabin and even then it was only on condition that Gibbs stayed the night with him and took a supply of oxygen with him.

Tony nodded acquiescence and allowed Gibbs to drive him home where he tumbled into bed and was asleep almost before he'd pulled the covers over himself. Gibbs smiled ruefully and went to investigate Tony's coffee supplies before stretching himself out on the sofa and allowing himself to relax for the first time since John Sutherland had called him to let him know that Tony was missing.

Tony, enjoying his first proper sleep, slept late the next morning. He woke briefly when he heard talking in the next room but soon dozed off again. He awoke half an hour later suddenly aware of a weight near his legs. He looked down the bed and saw a pair of eyes looking at him intently,

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," said Tali. "You came back."

"So did you," observed Tony.

"Uncle Kit droved me," said Tali.

"Did you …"

"I said thank you," said Tali.

"Good girl," praised Tony.

"Are you staying?" asked Tali.

"Yes," said Tony. He sat up and Tali crawled up and threw herself into his open arms.

"Missed you," she complained.

"I missed you too," said Tony. "And I'm sorry for writing on your drawing."

"That's all right," said Tali. "Well, not always but Nana Millie explain to me."

"Nana Millie?" said Tony. "When did you start calling her that?"

Tali shrugged. "She like it."

Tony nodded, somehow sure that she did. He looked at his daughter and pushed the hair out of her eyes, "You need a haircut," he observed.

Tali frowned and pushed the hair back. Tony grinned, wondering why it was that parents always wanted to keep the hair out of their children's eyes while the children seemed to like peering out from an undergrowth of hair.

"But not today," said Tony.

"We made breakvast," said Tali.

" _We_?"

"Uncle Jefro and me. I made toast … in the toaster," she added quickly before her father could imagine her using the oven.

"Good girl," praised Tony. "I could eat a horse."

"We haven't got horse," said Tali.

"That's OK," said Tony.

"What does horse taste like?"

"I don't know," said Tony.

"Then why you want horse?"

Tony decided that was a question for another day and got out of bed and put his robe on. Tali attached herself to his side like glue and chattered away about _breakvast_ and what she'd been doing with Kit and Andi.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," said Gibbs when he saw Tony and Tali.

"Daddy's not Sleeping Beauty," said the accurate Tali.

"No, more like Prince Charming," grinned Tony.

"No, Daddy. Rip van Winkle," said Tali.

"Rip van Winkle?" said Tony.

"'cos you're old," explained Tali.

"You'll never win," said Gibbs. "Here, have some coffee."

Tali insisted on sitting on Tony's lap but the DiNozzos were determined eaters and didn't let that stop either of them.

"Sweetheart," said Tony when their appetite had been satisfied for the moment, "You remember I said I'd find someone to look after you now that Mac has gone?"

"I want Mac," said Tali.

"I know, Sweetheart, but you know that he's going to be away for a long time."

"He could come back," suggested Tali.

Tony decided to ignore this, "I think I've found someone you'll like."

"To look after me?"

"And to look after the house as well. You're at kindergarten more now so you don't need someone so much. The new person will do some cooking for us too."

"So you won't be doing the cooking?"

"Not so much," said Tony.

"Cool!" said Tali enthusiastically.

"What's wrong with my cooking?" asked Tony. He saw Gibbs shaking his head and decided it would be best to settle for Tali being happy about the new person. They could return to the question of his cooking skills later. "Doesn't matter. Yes, she'd do some of the cooking."

"She?" asked Tali.

"Yes."

"A lady?"

"Yes."

"Can ladies _be_ nannies?" asked Tali.

Gibbs stifled a laugh. Tali had only ever known a male _nanny_ and didn't realise that they were unusual.

"Yes, they can," said Tony. "And they can be good ones and I think Alice will be."

"Alice?"

"Yes."

"Like in the story?"

"Yes, like in _Alice in Wonderland_."

"Is she big or small?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, Daddy. Sometimes Alice is big and sometimes she's small."

"I see. Well, this Alice is ordinary size."

"Is she nice?"

"I think so. She's Detective Hardman's sister. You know him, don't you?"

"Yes," said Tali doubtfully.

"He's nice, isn't he?"

"S'pose."

"She's going to come and see us. I'll phone and see if she can come this afternoon. How does that sound?"

"And she'll cook?"

"Yes."

"OK," Tali lost interest in the subject and slid off Tony's lap and went over to her box of crayons and started work.

Seeing her absorbed for the moment, Tony said to Gibbs, "Any word on Tom, Brad and Colin?"

"Doesn't seem any doubt that Tom was the leader. Brad and Colin were just hired thugs," said Gibbs.

"You said that Prince Al thought that something else was behind it. Was he right?"

"We're passing the information on to the Prince. We've got enough to charge them all but CIA are taking an interest now. They think it was a definite effort to discredit the Prince and it might have come from within his own family. Some sort of power struggle. We'll put pressure on Tom – if he was in it for the money he'll soon crack. But who knows?"

"Excuse me?"

"You remember when we first came across the Prince? We never did find out what he did with his sons when he got back home. I don't think we'll ever find out the truth behind it all."

"Huh," said Tony before spotting an uneaten slice of toast and focussing on that instead.

"So," said Gibbs, "Hardman's sister, eh?"

Tony groaned, "Not again, Gibbs!"

"What?" said Gibbs innocently.

"I remember what you were like when I hired Mac. Thought I'd chosen some irresponsible kid so I could talk football with him."

"Well …" began Gibbs.

"And you have to admit that he was perfect," said Tony. "What have you got against Alice? She's got good references."

"Dunno," said Gibbs, "Guess it's Hardman."

"You don't like Colin?" asked Tony in surprise.

"Nah, don't know," said Gibbs, "Doesn't seem your type."

"I have a _type_?" asked Tony.

"You know what I mean. Hardman's not very user friendly. Guessing you didn't have a choice about having him as your replacement?"

" _Temporary_ replacement," said Tony firmly. "I had five applicants. Colin stood out. He's good at his job …"

"You're not telling me he's good at liaising," said Gibbs.

"He can do it when he wants to," said Tony. He looked knowingly at Gibbs, "Oh God, you had McGee do a background check, didn't you?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Doesn't seem that Hardman's had much of a career," he said, "Not much evidence of the _networking_ you modern guys set so much store by."

"There are reasons," said Tony cryptically. "And it's not my story to tell. You want to know why I picked him?"

"Go on."

"You're right, he can be silent, stubborn and suspicious," Tony paused to grin, "And he reminded me of someone."

"Who?" asked Gibbs.

"You!"

There was a knock at the door at that moment and Detective Hardman walked through when summoned to come in.

"Sir," he said formally to Tony.

"Col," said Tony affably. "Hey, now that there's two of you here, can you watch over Tali while I go shower?"

Gibbs and Hardman nodded and Tony left them to their duties.

"Any word on the kidnappers?" asked Gibbs.

Hardman scowled, "Don't think it'll be our case for long," he complained.

"How so?"

"It's like alphabet soup out there. CIA, and now the FBI, all want a piece of it. Wouldn't be surprised if DEA decide they're being left out."

"Yeah," said Gibbs, "I know how that feels. Wouldn't have thought you'd mind."

"Eh?"

"Well, being the CAFALO … don't you have to be used to liaising?"

"Doesn't mean we roll over and let them have jurisdiction automatically," said Hardman sternly.

"Still, means you'll cut down on the paperwork," said Gibbs.

Hardman's face softened into a smile, "True. But we want the case. It's Tony after all. It's personal to us."

"You care about him," said Gibbs.

Hardman hesitated, "Yes, I do. You know what my career has been like."

"You haven't exactly rocketed up the ranks," observed Gibbs.

"No. Tony's the first person who saw potential in me," said Hardman.

"Hmm," said Gibbs non-committally.

"I haven't usually fitted in well," said Hardman. "Tony was the first one to figure out why."

"Yeah?"

"Agent McGee told you that I'm single," said Hardman. Gibbs nodded, suddenly wondering if there was a tragic secret in the detective's past that was similar to his own. "But that isn't quite true."

"Oh?"

"I've been with Laurence twenty-one years. You know that sometimes it's been best not to advertise being gay in the police force …"

"I guess."

"So it's meant that I haven't struck up friendships with people I work with. Had to keep a distance – well, that doesn't always help with a career."

"I see."

"Tony worked it out. Told me it didn't matter and that he thought that I could do the job. Not like he does it, but in a different way. He's willing to take a chance on me and I'm grateful for that."

"But you were ready to believe that he'd gone off with some sort of mental breakdown," remembered Gibbs.

"Tony picked me for my police skills," said Hardman, "That meant I had to consider all the possibilities. I was doing my job."

"Fair enough," said Gibbs. "And anyone who can say _alphabet soup_ in that tone of voice gets my vote every time. Just so long as you don't mean NCIS."

"We'll see," said Hardman, proving that he did have diplomatic skills of his own. "And I'm going to follow rule 9 in future … or Tony's version of it anyway!" By which he confirmed that he could be tactful with everyone.

Tony emerged, washed and dressed, from the bathroom just as another visitor arrived. Muttering the words Grand _Central Station_ under his breath, Tony called out an instruction to come in.

"Morning," said the new arrival. "You look a bit worse for wear, Tony."

"Thanks, Chief," said Tony. "You know Agent Gibbs, don't you?" Gibbs nodded in acknowledgement. "And this is Detective Hardman, one of my co-workers. Colin, this is Lew Bright, Milsom Bay Chief of Police."

"We met," said Hardman, "The Bay police helped us look for you."

"What can I do for you, Chief?" asked Tony.

"Wanted to see how you're doing," said the Chief, "And to let you know that you were right."

Tony allowed a smug look to dawn on his face. "Just make sure my daughter heard you say that," he said.

"Right about what?" asked Gibbs who didn't want to go down one of Tony's diversions.

"The Pink House. Tony suspected that Milton Cloons had a hand in it," said Bright.

"Hand in what?" said Gibbs, "And who's Milton Cloons?"

"Milton works for the town council," said Tony. "He knew that the work to reinstate the road had been done before the council got confirmation from the owners that they'd either sell the property to the town cheap or rent it at a low rate. I suspected that he pointed out to the owners that they could make more money by selling the place to someone else."

"Why would he do that?" asked Hardman.

"Money," said the Chief. "He contacted various potential purchasers to tell them about the road and got payments from them for liaising with the owners. Managed to give the _owners_ the impression that the town council had changed their minds about taking on the building."

"Shame that one of the potential purchasers turned out to be kidnappers," said Tony ruefully. "And they only paid for an option … guessing they didn't pay Cloons so much."

"No," agreed Bright, "But it turned out OK."

"How so?" asked Gibbs.

"Meant I could apply more pressure," said the Chief, "Implied that he'd been working with kidnappers … made him panic and confess that he'd been taking kickbacks from potential buyers. He even had the nerve to say that he'd only done it to benefit the town. Said that the more commercial the purchasers, the more money would come into the town."

"Huh," said Gibbs, "Why did you suspect him, DiNozzo?"

"I was fairly sure Senior hadn't done the dirty – he hasn't been to the Bay and I never mentioned the Pink House to him. But I happened to mention to Milton that Dad had visited us in Raleigh for a weekend … and that he was a businessman. Next thing I knew, when the bad feeling began to grow about the retreat house idea falling through, was that there was this rumour that Senior had ratted the council out."

"And you let people think that?" said Gibbs.

"Lew and I had had suspicions about Milton before," said Tony, "Some other council deals had been fishy so we decided to play along. Let him think he'd got away with it while we did some more digging. Although I might have hurried up the investigation if I'd known he'd arrange for Brad, Colin and Tom to have the place for a while."

"It was good work," said the Chief.

"Yeah, yeah," said Tony as he felt a sudden wish to be out in the fresh air after days of being cooped up. "Hey," he said, swooping down on his daughter, "Come on Tali-tilly, let's not dally dilly."

Tali looked up, "It's dilly dally, Daddy."

"OK, come on Tali-tilly, let's not dally dilly daddy."

"No," said Tali excitedly, "It's not dally dilly daddy, it's dilly dally, Daddy."

"Are you sure?" said Tony, "'cos I'm pretty sure you said it should be dilly dally daddy."

"I did," said Tali.

"See."

"But the Daddy bit was you not after dally dilly, I mean dilly dally."

"Oh," said Tony, "So you just meant to say dilly dally not dilly dally daddy?"

"Yes."

"You sure?"

"Yes," squealed Tali.

"OK then, Tali-tilly, let's not dilly dally. We'll go down to Millie's and collect Ruskin for a walk. How does that sound?"

"Yay!" shouted Tali.

Tony swung her up on to his hip, "Are you sure it shouldn't be dally dilly? 'Cos it would go with Tali-tilly?"

Tali was still arguing with her father as their voices faded away.

Gibbs shrugged as he realised that Tony had had enough questions for the moment. The other questions would have to wait.

 _AN: I thought I could finish in one chapter but it would be too long … so more clearing up to do in the next chapter. I don't think there's any more jeopardy to come so if you like lots of action you might want to skip the final chapter._

 _I probably should have mentioned before that Prince Al was introduced in the season 7 episode 'Flesh and Blood' when it emerged that he was a friend of Senior. Sorry for any confusion._


	11. Chapter 11

With their usual impeccable timing, the DiNozzos got back to Millie's after their walk with Ruskin just in time for lunch.

Tali squealed with delight when she saw her godparents and rushed to hug Tim and Ellie who were in the process of clearing up before heading back to DC.

Ellie hugged Tony, "You look better than you did last night," she observed.

"The power of a good night's sleep," he replied, "Actually, it was the power of having a bed to sleep in rather than on the floor."

"Where's Gibbs?" asked Tony.

Tony shrugged, "Not sure. Bonding with Colin over the iniquities of Federal Agencies that try and take over cases which belong to NCIS. Or grilling him about his sister, soon to be the DiNozzo housekeeper cum nanny. Or …"

"So we've got time to have lunch?" interrupted McGee.

"Sure. There's always time to have lunch," said Tony.

Tali finished eating first and then decided that the equable Ruskin needed grooming and sat down on the grass in front of the café to begin work. John Sutherland was already there and began surreptitiously to sketch her at work.

"So, new nanny?" said Ellie.

"With excellent references, amazing qualifications and links to law enforcement," said Tony hastily.

"What?" said Ellie innocently.

"I've already had Gibbs' doubts," said Tony.

"Hey," said McGee, "We're the godparents. We've got responsibilities, you know."

"You two must be the most conscientious …" Bishop and McGee looked smug, "… interfering godparents ever," grumbled Tony.

"You're welcome," said Bishop.

"And you knew what you were getting when you signed us up," said McGee.

"I guess," said Tony, "I didn't realise being a godparent had this effect on people. Even Doug has set up a savings account for Tali and gives me recipes for sugar free desserts." Bishop and McGee grinned at one another: _Doug_ was John's somewhat unsatisfactory son to whom Tali had taken an unlikely fancy and who had been co-opted as another godparent.

"I can look up more recipes if you want," offered Ellie.

"That's all right," said Tony. "Now, if you really want to help …"

"Anything," said Bishop.

"If we can," said McGee who, knowing Tony better, was warier.

"I'm thinking I need to extend the cabin," said Tony, "Mac didn't mind roughing it when we stayed down here but newNanny might want something different. Another couple of rooms would be good."

"Building's not really my thing," said Tim, "Have you asked Gibbs. He'd love to build you something."

"It's not the building," said Tony, "It's the design. Need to find an architect. The guy who did the last extension has moved away."

"It'll be expensive," said Ellie with studied casualness.

"Hmm," said Tony absently as he watched Tali still brushing Ruskin.

"Yes, building work doesn't come cheap," chipped in Tim.

"That's OK. I've come into some money," said Tony. He looked away from his daughter and caught Tim and Ellie exchanging significant looks. "OK," he said, "What's going on? Why the eye rolls?"

"I didn't roll my eyes," protested Ellie.

"Excuse me," said Tony, "You're looking at the expert in silent communication, I know an eye roll when I see one. Spill!"

"Well," said Tim, "When you went missing …"

"… we had to do some background searches," said Ellie.

"Go on," sighed Tony.

"And we found …" began Tim.

"Actually it was Raleigh PD who found it," corrected Ellie.

"Good to hear that my co-workers are thorough," said Tony blandly, "So, what did they find?"

"That your father deposited $25000 in your bank account," said Tim.

"And you thought … what?" asked Tony.

"That it was _generous_ of him?" said Ellie doubtfully.

Tony took pity on them, "Don't worry, I was as surprised as you were. Remember that Dad moved to DC? Bought that retirement apartment?"

"Yeah?" said Tim

"Well," Tony did an impersonation of his father's voice, " _Investments aren't quite lining up, Junior … I don't want to miss out on this apartment, so …"_

"You lent him money?" said Bishop.

"Yeah. And he paid it back, with interest," said Tony. "Just goes to show that a leopard can change its spots."

Tim and Ellie smiled in relief and resisted wondering if there had been other loans that hadn't been repaid.

"Tony, about Senior …" began Tim but he was interrupted by the sound of Ruskin shaking himself vigorously and then rolling in the dust.

"Bad Ruskin!" scolded Tali as the dog undid her good work.

Tony laughed and she came over to sit on his knee instead. John walked towards them with his sketch pad,

"Thought you might like these," he said and handed a piece of paper each to Tim and Ellie. They looked at them in amazement,

"This is wonderful," said Ellie.

"It's great," said Tim.

Tony peered at the sketches and realised that John had diverted his attention from Tali and Ruskin to produce two quick sketches of Tim, Ellie and Tony in conversation. "Nice," he commented, "Two genuine John Sutherlands … you might be able to retire on the proceeds!"

"Hardly," said John although, in truth, his portraits did command a high price especially as he rarely painted them anymore. "Just a thank you for helping find Tony."

"He found himself," said Tim, "But thank you … I won't give it back!"

Ellie gave John a hug before she and Tim went off to finish their packing.

NCISNCIS

Later that day, Gibbs strolled outside Tony's cabin to the beach to where Tali and Tony were building sandcastles.

"You OK?" he asked.

"Sure," said Tony. Then he looked at Gibbs and saw that it was more than a routine enquiry, "I'm fine," he said, "Why?"

Gibbs grunted as he lowered himself to the ground next to Tony. "Hardman …"

Tony groaned, "Enough, already!"

"Let me finish," said Gibbs mildly.

Tony gestured for him to continue.

"Hardman implied that you were going through a hard time. He didn't think it was impossible that you'd cracked under the pressure," said Gibbs.

"So?"

"So, you know that we … _I_ … care. If you're struggling, you can come to me," said Gibbs.

"What sort of thing did Colin say?" asked Tony.

"He said about the Pink House falling through … about the bad feeling in the town."

"But you know now that Lew and I played that up a bit," said Tony.

"Still," said Gibbs, "It must have hurt."

"It was OK," said Tony. "And good news about the house."

"What?" asked Gibbs.

"It's been sold."

"It has? Do the buyers know that you burned it down?" asked Gibbs.

"Ha ha, and I didn't burn it down. It's just a bit singed."

"The roof fell in and the walls have collapsed," said Gibbs.

"Only that store room," said Tony, "And that was an add-on. Didn't go with the rest of the building."

"You saying that you did the buyers a favour?" said Gibbs sceptically.

"I wouldn't go that far," conceded Tony, "But it hasn't put them off."

"Who's them?"

"The Marine Corps," said Tony triumphantly.

"What?"

"Well, Camp Lejeune is close by."

"Thank you, I had noticed," said Gibbs drily.

"And the Marine Corps decided it would be good to have a property where sick and wounded Marines could convalesce. Pink House is perfect, it's quiet and reasonably remote but residents can get into town if they want some company. They can go swimming, sailing off the pier, walks along the beach …"

"Sounds good," admitted Gibbs. "How'd they find out about it?"

"Hmm, I might have mentioned it to the Commandant when he came to visit his great aunt at the Milsom Bay retirement home. You know, so they could be ready if one of the offers fell through."

"Good work," said Gibbs.

"I called them this morning. Let them know that the current option holders had … er … backed out. They put a call in straightaway and their offer was accepted. I think the owners just want to be rid of it especially after the latest episode. Although it's not as bad as they feared."

"They thought there was more damage than you burning half of it down?" asked Gibbs.

"Isn't there a rule against exaggeration?" asked Tony loftily. "No, the realtor was getting anxious because they were making a lot of noise and she thought they were knocking down walls and stuff."

"And they weren't?"

"No, the banging was just for effect. They figured that if there was a lot of noise going on, people would think they were legit and not trouble them."

"Sounds good then," said Gibbs.

"It's perfect," said Tony hotly before saying more hesitantly, "Well, possibly …"

"What?" asked Gibbs, "It sounds perfect to me as well. What's wrong with it?"

"It's just," said Tony, "Well, it's the name."

"What's wrong with the name?" asked Gibbs.

"The Marine Corps having somewhere called the Pink House?" said Tony. "Won't they want it to be green?"

Gibbs chuckled and took a sip of the coffee he had taken care to bring with him. "And what about Mac leaving?" he asked.

Tali looked up hopefully at the sound of Mac's name but went back to her work when she realised he wasn't in sight.

"That was a blow," admitted Tony, "But not completely out of the blue. We knew he'd be going. I could have found someone quicker but I wanted to take my time … talk of the devil, here she is!"

Tony jumped up as he saw a middle aged woman walking towards them. Gibbs could see the resemblance to her brother but where his face was habitually in a frown it appeared that Alice's face was more inclined to smiles.

"Tali," said Tony, "Here is Alice. You remember that I told you about her?" Tali decided to be shy and hid behind Tony's legs. "Alice, this is my daughter Tali. And this is Special Agent Gibbs, a friend."

Gibbs nodded. He held out his hand and noticed that her hair was distinctly auburn.

"Pleased to meet you, Agent Gibbs," said Alice as she shook hands, "Colin has told me about you." Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Tali," she continued, "I've been looking forward to meeting you. Why don't you and I go down and have a paddle? You can tell me what sort of thing you and your Daddy like to do. And what your favourite dinner is."

Tali looked up at Tony who nodded permission, "Go on, Sweetheart. I'll be right here."

Alice held out her hand. Tali hesitated. "Your Daddy told me that you're very good at drawing." Tali nodded. "And that you like cooking?" Tali nodded again. "I like cooking too, especially if I've got someone to help."

"I like licking the bowl," said Tali.

"That's a big help," said Alice, "And it saves on the washing up!"

Tali stared at her and then giggled, "That's naughty!"

"Is it?" said Alice, "Why?"

Tali took her hand and led her away, giving her a lecture on hygiene as they went.

Tony laughed, "My daughter, she loves to be in the right."

Gibbs nodded approvingly, "You didn't tell me she was a redhead."

"I told her to dye her hair," said Tony gravely.

Gibbs delivered a head slap.

Tony returned to their previous conversation, "We knew Mac would be going and I'd decided I wouldn't try and replace him completely but that it was time to go for a housekeeper more than a Nanny."

"You think you're going to be busier when you're standing in for the Chief?"

"Not sure. It will be a different pressure but being CAFALO isn't exactly regular hours. Meetings in the evening – well, that'll carry on but I just want to make sure that what time I have to spend with Tali isn't spent on chores."

"Good luck with that, it sounds as if you won't get her out of the kitchen," said Gibbs.

"And it was tough when Mac left. We both missed him and it's hard seeing your daughter crying herself to sleep."

"And Mel?" asked Gibbs.

"Gibbs," said Tony in surprise, "What's up? We don't talk about our love lives … do we?"

"Had to hurt," said Gibbs.

"I guess," said Tony, "But we both agreed … I didn't get dumped. And we're planning a trip to Hawaii, we're still friends. And hey, it looks as if Tali's got a new friend!" He pointed to where Tali was tugging Alice back towards them.

"Daddy! Alice says she likes movies! But she hasn't seen _Finding Dory_ yet. Can I put it on for her?"

"Sure," said Tony. "Come on, Gibbs, you won't get away from it," but somehow he didn't think Gibbs would mind spending time with the new member of the DiNozzo household.

NCISNCIS

"She's down for the night," said Tony later that evening as he emerged from his daughter's room. Perhaps he sensed that Gibbs was still concerned about him and as he sat down he said, "You know, getting kidnapped had a good side."

"It did?"

"You remember when Tali arrived?"

"Hard to forget," said Gibbs.

"I loved her from the beginning but I was clueless about what to do with her."

"You've done well," said Gibbs.

"But I always thought that I loved her because I was supposed to."

"Excuse me?"

"You know, out of duty. You're supposed to love your children."

"You've always done your duty, Tony," said Gibbs gruffly.

"Thanks, Boss, that means a lot," said Tony. "I've always done what I could for her."

"Nothing wrong with that" said Gibbs.

"And willingly," said Tony, "But then, when I was taken … well, I realised that I missed her."

"Yes?"

"I missed her smile, her giggle … even the way she gets cross with me sometimes. I realised how good it's been to see her growing up, seeing her personality develop … trying to guess what sort of person she's going to be. I missed her as a person, someone I loved and enjoyed being with. She's not a duty, or a burden but the most important person in my life. And I wonder if sometimes I haven't made that clear to people. Maybe I gave people like Colin the impression that she weighed me down in some way … perhaps that made it easier for people to think I could have walked away from her. But I couldn't do that. Sounds sappy, but she's the light of my life …"

Gibbs cleared his throat, "You don't have to tell me what that's like …"

"So, don't worry, Gibbs. I'm fine. Doesn't mean life is always easy but it's always worth living."

Gibbs raised his glass of bourbon and clinked it against Tony's glass. "Even if it means you're on non- non-alcoholic lager?" he asked.

"I'll be grateful when she wakes up in the middle of the night," said Tony.

Sleep was beginning to claim Gibbs when he remembered there was something else he hadn't told Tony, "Senior …" he began.

"Kinda odd, isn't it?" said Tony reflectively.

"Yes," said Gibbs firmly.

Tony looked surprised but continued, "I mean, Prince Al must be really fond of him to be willing to pay a ransom for me. Just goes to show there's good in the old man after all. He must be a good friend to Prince Al. And to be fair, he's tried to be a good grandpa to Tali." He smiled as he thought about his family.

Gibbs felt a little bad to be giving bad news, "We couldn't find him. You know, to tell him you'd gone missing."

"Oh," said Tony absently.

"Abby and McGee have been trying to find him. So had Prince Al. No trace at all. I'm sorry, Tony. They're still looking."

"He's in Texas," said Tony.

"What?"

"He called me a few days ago from a pay phone in Brownsville."

"What's he doing in Texas?"

"He was on his way to stay with his buddy, Clinton Furrough. Clinton has an estate on Padre island and Senior was going on retreat there for a few weeks. Completely out of contact with everyone, didn't want anyone to know where he was."

"Why?" asked Gibbs suspiciously as he began to imagine Senior's latest plotting.

"He went swimming in a new pool," said Tony, "Brought him out in a rash, his dermatologist said it was the chlorine. Dad said he wasn't fit to be seen so he was going somewhere serene and peaceful until his skin was _DiNozzo worthy_ again."

Gibbs sighed.

"You weren't worried about him, were you?" asked Tony.

"Nah," said Gibbs and he smiled as he realised that, far from _it all falling down for him,_ Tony was still building a good life for himself and Tali … and that Gibbs was a valued part of that life. "Nah, it's all good."

 _AN: there at last … this chapter was pure fluff! Thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in this story. The NCIS characters are back in their boxes, Milsom Bay is mine!_


End file.
